Phase change characteristics of SiO2 doped Sb2Te 3 materials for phase change memory application

Abstract

Phase change abilities of SiO2 doped Sb2Te 3 phase change materials were systemically studied. Compared to pure Sb2Te3, crystallization temperature (TC) is increased obviously (153°C), and phase change characteristics are remarkably improved.SiO2 doping will not cause oxidization of Sb and Te elements. The grain size of Sb2Te3 is restrained remarkably by amorphous SiO2. The average diameter of the Sb 2Te3 particles is about 10 nm. The Set and Reset voltages for SiO2-Sb2Te3 based PCM cell are much lower than those of Ge2Sb2Te5 based PCM cell. Meanwhile, PCM cell using this material shows good endurance with cycles up to 3.5 × 106. © 2011 The Electrochemical Society.