Revisiting the Local Structure in Ge-Sb-Te based Chalcogenide Superlattices

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Abstract

The technological success of phase-change materials in the field of data storage and functional systems stems from their distinctive electronic and structural peculiarities on the nanoscale. Recently, superlattice structures have been demonstrated to dramatically improve the optical and electrical performances of these chalcogenide based phase-change materials. In this perspective, unravelling the atomistic structure that originates the improvements in switching time and switching energy is paramount in order to design nanoscale structures with even enhanced functional properties. This study reveals a high- resolution atomistic insight of the [GeTe/Sb ₂Te ₃] interfacial structure by means of Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy. Based on our results we propose a consistent novel structure for this kind of chalcogenide superlattices.

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Most cited references 15

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Phase-change materials for rewriteable data storage.

Matthias Wuttig, Noboru Yamada (2007)

Phase-change materials are some of the most promising materials for data-storage applications. They are already used in rewriteable optical data storage and offer great potential as an emerging non-volatile electronic memory. This review looks at the unique property combination that characterizes phase-change materials. The crystalline state often shows an octahedral-like atomic arrangement, frequently accompanied by pronounced lattice distortions and huge vacancy concentrations. This can be attributed to the chemical bonding in phase-change alloys, which is promoted by p-orbitals. From this insight, phase-change alloys with desired properties can be designed. This is demonstrated for the optical properties of phase-change alloys, in particular the contrast between the amorphous and crystalline states. The origin of the fast crystallization kinetics is also discussed.

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Resonant bonding in crystalline phase-change materials.

Kostiantyn V Shportko, Stephan Kremers, Michael Woda … (2008)

The identification of materials suitable for non-volatile phase-change memory applications is driven by the need to find materials with tailored properties for different technological applications and the desire to understand the scientific basis for their unique properties. Here, we report the observation of a distinctive and characteristic feature of phase-change materials. Measurements of the dielectric function in the energy range from 0.025 to 3 eV reveal that the optical dielectric constant is 70-200% larger for the crystalline than the amorphous phases. This difference is attributed to a significant change in bonding between the two phases. The optical dielectric constant of the amorphous phases is that expected of a covalent semiconductor, whereas that of the crystalline phases is strongly enhanced by resonant bonding effects. The quantification of these is enabled by measurements of the electronic polarizability. As this bonding in the crystalline state is a unique fingerprint for phase-change materials, a simple scheme to identify and characterize potential phase-change materials emerges.

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Low-cost and nanoscale non-volatile memory concept for future silicon chips.

Martijn Lankhorst, Bas W S M M Ketelaars, R A M Wolters (2005)

Non-volatile 'flash' memories are key components of integrated circuits because they retain their data when power is interrupted. Despite their great commercial success, the semiconductor industry is searching for alternative non-volatile memories with improved performance and better opportunities for scaling down the size of memory cells. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of a new semiconductor memory concept. The individual memory cell is based on a narrow line of phase-change material. By sending low-power current pulses through the line, the phase-change material can be programmed reversibly between two distinguishable resistive states on a timescale of nanoseconds. Reducing the dimensions of the phase-change line to the nanometre scale improves the performance in terms of speed and power consumption. These advantages are achieved by the use of a doped-SbTe phase-change material. The simplicity of the concept promises that integration into a logic complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process flow might be possible with only a few additional lithographic steps.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Sci Rep

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Sci Rep

Title: Scientific Reports

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

ISSN (Electronic): 2045-2322

Publication date (Electronic): 01 March 2016

Publication date Collection: 2016

Volume: 6

Electronic Location Identifier: 22353

Affiliations

[1 ]Università degli Studi di Trieste , Via A. Valerio 2, 34127, Trieste, Italy

[2 ]Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. Strada Statale 14-km 163.5 in AREA Science Park 34149, Basovizza, Trieste, Italy

[3 ]Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen , Groningen 9747, AG, The Netherlands

[4 ]Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology , P. O. Box 513 5600, MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

[5 ]Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik , Hausvogteiplatz 5-7 10117, Berlin, Germany

[6 ]Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Microelectronics Technology and High Purity Materials , Moscow, Russia

[7 ]Engineering Department, Cambridge University , Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK

[8 ]Institute of Physics, RWTH Aachen University , 52056, Aachen, Germany

[9 ]Micron Semiconductor Italia S.r.l., Via C. Olivetti, 2 , 20864, Agrate Brianza, MB, Italy

[10 ]International Faculty, University of Cologne , 50937 Cologne, Germany

Author notes

[a ] marco.malvestuto@ 123456elettra.eu

Article

Publisher Item ID: srep22353

DOI: 10.1038/srep22353

PMC ID: 4772802

PubMed ID: 26926116

SO-VID: 08068324-fe96-4fae-a307-0138109bb89f

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Revisiting the Local Structure in Ge-Sb-Te based Chalcogenide Superlattices

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Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics (PDI)

Most cited references 15

Phase-change materials for rewriteable data storage.

Resonant bonding in crystalline phase-change materials.

Low-cost and nanoscale non-volatile memory concept for future silicon chips.

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