Nonvolatile capacitor of a semiconductor memory device, and method of operating the same

摘要

The capacitor includes: a lower electrode (40); a dielectric layer (42) stacked on the lower electrode and including a phase-transition layer (42b), which displays two remarkably different resistance characteristics after insulating property thereof is changed; and an upper electrode (44) stacked on the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer may include first and second insulating layers of silicon oxide, tantalum oxide or aluminium oxide for example. The phase-transition layer (42b) may be an oxide of group-V element and preferably is niobium oxide.