Acceleration of Crystallization Kinetics in Ge‐Sb‐Te‐Based Phase‐Change Materials by Substitution of Ge by Sn
[1];
- European XFEL Holzkoppel 4 Schenefeld 22869 Germany
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry University of Kiel Max‐Eyth‐Strasse 2 Kiel 24118 Germany, Department of Chemistry University of Cologne Greinstraße 4–6 Cologne 50939 Germany
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry University of Kiel Max‐Eyth‐Strasse 2 Kiel 24118 Germany
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science Institute University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403 USA, Center for Autonomous Materials Design Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science Institute University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403 USA
- Institute of Physics RWTH Aachen University Sommerfeldstrasse 16 Aachen 52074 Germany
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences PULSE Institute SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Menlo Park CA 94025 USA, Department of Materials Science and Engineering Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
Abstract Thin films of (Ge 1– x Sn x ) 8 Sb 2 Te 11 are prepared to study the impact of Sn‐substitution on properties relevant for application in phase‐change memory, a next‐generation electronic data storage technology. It is expected that substitution decreases the crystallization temperature, but it is not known how the maximum crystallization rate is affected. Ge 8 Sb 2 Te 11 is chosen from the (GeTe) y (Sb 2 Te 3 ) 1– y system of phase‐change materials as a starting point due to its higher crystallization temperature as compared to the common material Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 . In situ X‐ray diffraction at 5 K min −1 heating rate is performed to determine the crystallization temperature and the resulting structure. To measure the maximum crystallization rate, femtosecond optical pulses that heat the material repetitively and monitor the resulting increase of optical reflectance are used. Glasses over the entire composition range are prepared using a melt‐quenching process. While at x = 0, 97, subsequent pulses are required for crystallization, one single pulse is enough to achieve the same effect at x = 0.5. The samples are further characterized by optical ellipsometry and calorimetry. The combined electrical and optical contrast and the ability to cycle between states with single femtosecond pulses renders Ge 4 Sn 4 Sb 2 Te 11 promising for photonics applications.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 1668100
- Journal Information:
- Advanced Functional Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Functional Materials Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 31; ISSN 1616-301X
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
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