Phase‐change memory based on matched <scp>Ge‐Te</scp>, <scp>Sb‐Te,</scp> and <scp>In‐Te</scp> octahedrons: Improved electrical performances and robust thermal stability

Chalcogenide phase‐change materials (PCMs) are a promising candidate for advanced memory and computing technologies. PCM‐based random access memories have entered the global memory market as storage‐class memory. In these products, the element arsenic plays an essential role in the selector layers, but how arsenic stabilizes the thermal stability of the chalcogenide glass remains elusive. Herein, thorough ab initio simulations are carried out to understand the chemical bonding, electronic structure, and optical properties of an important arsenic alloy As2Te3 in both crystalline and amorphous forms. In comparison with the homologue alloy Sb2Te3, the importance of homopolar bonds in stabilizing the amorphous phase of As2Te3 is revealed. Also, a strategy for the design of As x Sb2−x Te3 alloys with optimal material properties for nonvolatile photonic phase‐change applications is proposed.

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“…Alloying is typically needed to enhance the amorphous stability to improve the data retention temperatures. [ 14–21 ]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bonding Nature and Optical Properties of As₂Te₃ Phase‐Change Material

Sun

Zhu

Zhang

2022

Physica Rapid Research Ltrs

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“…The thermal stability of PCMs is crucial for data storage. 55 After the issue of oxidation in PCMs, an important question is whether such a MOB structure can enhance the thermal stability of the material. X-ray diffraction (XRD), as a commonly used material characterization technique, can accurately identify the formation of crystalline phases in the material.…”

Section: Thermal Stability Characterization Of Thin Filmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing a Multilayered Oxygen Barrier Structure to Tackle Oxidation Challenges in Phase-Change Memory for Improved Reliability

Cai,

Gao,

Zhao

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Phase-change memory (PCM) is considered one of the most promising candidates for universal memory. However, during the manufacturing process of PCM, phase-change materials (PCMs) encounter severe oxidation, which can cause degraded performance and reduced stability of PCM, hindering its industrialization process. In this work, a multilayered oxygen barrier (MOB) structure is proposed to tackle this challenge. Material characterization shows that the MOB structure can significantly reduce the extent of oxidation of PCMs from around 70% to as low as around 10%, achieving a remarkably low level of oxidation. Moreover, the material in the MOB structure exhibits notable enhancements in crystallization temperature and cycling capability. The improved stability is attributed to the oxygen barrier effect and the suppression of elemental segregation within the material, which are both conferred by the MOB structure. In summary, this work provides an effective solution to address the oxidation of PCMs, offering valuable guidance for realizing a highreliability PCM in practical production.

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“…Wang et al [28] used magnetron sputtering to produce the common Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 films and In 0.9 Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 films, combined with TiN as the top electrode, to form T‐shaped PCM cells. For In 0.9 Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 , they found a 10‐year retention of 180°C and 6 ns set speed, as well as a reduction of the power consumption of 75%, as compared with the basic In 0.9 Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 .…”

Section: Ge2sb2te5 As a Typical Pcm Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent developments in phase‐change memory

Ehrmann

Błachowicz

Ehrmann³

et al. 2022

Applied Research

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Phase-change memory (PCM) belongs to the nonvolatile solid-state memory techniques. Usually, a chalcogenide is sandwiched between two conductive electrodes and data are stored by setting each cell to a low-resistance (crystalline) or a high-resistance (amorphous) state. Switching between these states is relatively fast, which makes phase-change random access memories (PCRAMs) highly interesting for nonvolatile memories. Multilevel cells, which can store more than 1 bit per cell, and multilayer high-density memory arrays have also been reported as advantages of PCRAM. Writing currents and data retention, on the other hand, still show potential for optimization. This review gives an overview of the most recent developments in new material compositions and material-related optimization of PCM in comparison with already produced PCM.

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Phase‐change memory based on matched Ge‐Te, Sb‐Te, and In‐Te octahedrons: Improved electrical performances and robust thermal stability

Cited by 20 publications

References 39 publications

Bonding Nature and Optical Properties of As₂Te₃ Phase‐Change Material

Bonding Nature and Optical Properties of As₂Te₃ Phase‐Change Material

Designing a Multilayered Oxygen Barrier Structure to Tackle Oxidation Challenges in Phase-Change Memory for Improved Reliability

Recent developments in phase‐change memory

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Phase‐change memory based on matched Ge‐Te, Sb‐Te, and In‐Te octahedrons: Improved electrical performances and robust thermal stability

Cited by 20 publications

References 39 publications

Bonding Nature and Optical Properties of As2Te3 Phase‐Change Material

Bonding Nature and Optical Properties of As2Te3 Phase‐Change Material

Designing a Multilayered Oxygen Barrier Structure to Tackle Oxidation Challenges in Phase-Change Memory for Improved Reliability

Recent developments in phase‐change memory

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Bonding Nature and Optical Properties of As₂Te₃ Phase‐Change Material

Bonding Nature and Optical Properties of As₂Te₃ Phase‐Change Material