AIP Advances (Jan 2019)

Effect of substrate on phase-change characteristics of GeSb thin films and its potential application in three-level electrical storage

  • X. F. Wang,
  • D. Gu,
  • T. Xiao,
  • X.F. Xu,
  • Y. He,
  • C. Z. Huang,
  • Z. L. Zhang,
  • T. L. Li,
  • W. L. Zhu,
  • T. S. Lai

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5052314
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 015105 – 015105-5

Abstract

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Phase-change Ge8Sb92 films were deposited on the varied thermal-conductivity substrates by radio frequency sputtering and their crystallization behavior was investigated. Situ sheet resistance measurement and the X-ray diffraction spectra show a double stage phase transitions of Ge8Sb92 films on the low thermal-conductivity substrates while a single stage phase transition on the high ones with the increasing heating temperature. The first-stage phase transition is amorphous-to-crystalline transition and the second-stage phase transition is partial-to-complete crystalline transition. The results provide experimental basis for the optimization of Ge8Sb92 phase-change memory and the possibility application in three-level electrical storage with single layer GeSb-type phase-change materials.