US Patent 7345908 Memory device

The present invention is to provide a memory device including: a plurality of memory cells that each include a memory element having a memory layer and first and second electrodes that sandwich the memory layer, the plurality of memory cells being divided into memory blocks of m columns by n rows (m and n are each an integer of not less than 1, m+n≧3), the memory elements in the same memory block having the first electrode that is formed of a single layer in common to the memory elements; and a voltage application unit that applies any voltage to the first electrode of the memory block.