Direct evidence for abrupt postcrystallization germanium precipitation in thin phase-change films of Sb-15 at. % Ge

摘要

We present evidence for the instability in the crystalline (metallic) state of binary Te-free phase-change Ge-Sb thin films considered for integration into nonvolatile nanosized memory cells. We find that while the amorphous (semiconducting) phase of eutectic Sb-15 at. % Ge is very robust until Sb crystallization at 240 ℃, at about 350 ℃, germanium rapidly precipitates out. Ge precipitation, visualized directly with transmission electron microscopy, is exothermic and is found to affect the films' reflectivity, resistance, and stress. It converts melting into a two-step process, which may seriously impact the switching reliability of a device.