TY - JOUR
T1 - Characterization of phase-change behavior of a Ge2Sb2Te5 thin film using finely controlled electrical pulses for switching
AU - Lee, Hyun Cheol
AU - Jeong, Jin Hwan
AU - Choi, Doo Jin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/8/10
Y1 - 2016/8/10
N2 - We studied the phase-change behavior of Ge2Sb2Te5, which is a chalcogenide material widely used in phase-change memory, using precisely controlled electrical pulses to improve the efficiency of the switching operation. The electrical pulse is a critical parameter that supplies source energy to reversibly switch the phase of the material between amorphous and crystalline. The electrical pulse conditions are classified into rising time, setting time (ST) and falling time (FT). We investigated the individual influence of each step on the phase of the material with fine nanoscale pulses. We also studied the complex influence of the ratio of ST and FT to investigate the correlation among the steps. The result showed that the state of the phase-change material and electrical properties were significantly determined according to the specific condition of the pulse. Furthermore, we used transmission electron microscopy to observe the cross-sectional images of the material to confirm these phenomena. Finally, retention cycling tests were performed to elucidate the most stable conditions of the material with respect to the specific ratio of the electrical pulses. The results indicated that the FT should be more than double the ST for the SET operation and more than 10% of the ST for the RESET operation.
AB - We studied the phase-change behavior of Ge2Sb2Te5, which is a chalcogenide material widely used in phase-change memory, using precisely controlled electrical pulses to improve the efficiency of the switching operation. The electrical pulse is a critical parameter that supplies source energy to reversibly switch the phase of the material between amorphous and crystalline. The electrical pulse conditions are classified into rising time, setting time (ST) and falling time (FT). We investigated the individual influence of each step on the phase of the material with fine nanoscale pulses. We also studied the complex influence of the ratio of ST and FT to investigate the correlation among the steps. The result showed that the state of the phase-change material and electrical properties were significantly determined according to the specific condition of the pulse. Furthermore, we used transmission electron microscopy to observe the cross-sectional images of the material to confirm these phenomena. Finally, retention cycling tests were performed to elucidate the most stable conditions of the material with respect to the specific ratio of the electrical pulses. The results indicated that the FT should be more than double the ST for the SET operation and more than 10% of the ST for the RESET operation.
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U2 - 10.1088/0268-1242/31/9/095006
DO - 10.1088/0268-1242/31/9/095006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84988429271
VL - 31
JO - Semiconductor Science and Technology
JF - Semiconductor Science and Technology
SN - 0268-1242
IS - 9
M1 - 095006
ER -