Al-Sb-Ge phase change material: A candidate for multilevel data storage with high-data retention and fast speed

摘要

The phase change memory with Al-Sb-Ge alloy is investigated for the feasibility of embedded system and the potential possibility of multilevel data storage. The Al15Sb53Ge32 compound has a high crystallization temperature (333 degrees C) and outstanding data retention ability (260 degrees C). Ge atoms inhibit crystal growth to enhance thermal stability and Al15Sb53Ge32 contains sequential crystallization of Sb-rich and Ge regions in two-step crystallization process. Remarkably, the device presents a fast speed of 50 ns and endurance up to 2.3 x 10(4) cycles. At the same time, a reliable tripe-level resistance state of the phase change memory cell is observed. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.