The crystallization behavior of stoichiometric and off-stoichiometric Ga-Sb-Te materials for phase-change memory

Abstract

The stoichiometric Ga4 Sb6 Te3 and Ga-Sb materials were systemically studied. The alloy Ga4 Sb6 Te3 shows a fast crystallization speed, very high crystallization temperature, Tx, and high electrical contrast. Although stoichiometric GaSb has similar performance and even faster crystallization speed, the electrical contrast is much lower. The other off-stoichiometric compounds we studied all have higher Tx than Ge2 Sb 2 Te5 indicating a good amorphous stability. By raising the Sb/Te ratio with GaSb incorporation, Tx and the recrystallization time of melt-quenched, amorphous samples can be effectively increased. The stoichiometric Ga4 Sb6 Te3 with less likelihood of phase-segregation compared to nonstoichiometric compounds is a promising candidate for phase-change memory. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.