Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.

Bragaglia, V., Arciprete, F., Zhang, W., Mio, A., Zallo, E., Perumal, K., et al. (2016). Metal - insulator transition driven by vacancy ordering in GeSbTe phase change materials. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 6, 23843 [10.1038/srep23843].

Metal - insulator transition driven by vacancy ordering in GeSbTe phase change materials

ARCIPRETE, FABRIZIO;
2016-04-01

Abstract

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are unique compounds employed in non-volatile random access memory thanks to the rapid and reversible transformation between the amorphous and crystalline state that display large differences in electrical and optical properties. In addition to the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, experimental results on polycrystalline GeSbTe alloys (GST) films evidenced a Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) attributed to disorder in the crystalline phase. Here we report on a fundamental advance in the fabrication of GST with out-of-plane stacking of ordered vacancy layers by means of three distinct methods: Molecular Beam Epitaxy, thermal annealing and application of femtosecond laser pulses. We assess the degree of vacancy ordering and explicitly correlate it with the MIT. We further tune the ordering in a controlled fashion attaining a large range of resistivity. Employing ordered GST might allow the realization of cells with larger programming windows.
1-apr-2016
Pubblicato
Rilevanza internazionale
Articolo
Esperti anonimi
Settore FIS/03 - FISICA DELLA MATERIA
English
Con Impact Factor ISI
information storage surfaces; interfaces and thin films
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep23843
Bragaglia, V., Arciprete, F., Zhang, W., Mio, A., Zallo, E., Perumal, K., et al. (2016). Metal - insulator transition driven by vacancy ordering in GeSbTe phase change materials. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 6, 23843 [10.1038/srep23843].
Bragaglia, V; Arciprete, F; Zhang, W; Mio, A; Zallo, E; Perumal, K; Giussani, A; Cecchi, S; Boschker, J; Riechert, H; Privitera, S; Rimini, E; Mazzarello, R; Calarco, R
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2108/142547
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