Phase-Change Memory and Optical Data Storage

Abstract

Phase-change memory is regarded as the most appealing of the nonvolatile memory technologies, with attractive properties including scalability, bit alterability, and fast write/erase and read performance. Over the past decade, the technology has experienced rapid growth. Well-known semiconductor manufacturers such as IBM, Infineon, Samsung, and Macronix have spared no effort in the push to commercialize this technology. At the same time, many novel phase-change materials have been developed, such as typical Ge-Sb-Te alloys, Zn-Sb-Te alloys, and ZnO-Sb2Te3 nanocomposite. New techniques such as ultrafast calorimetry are continuously emerging to better understand the crystallization kinetics of supercooled liquids for phase-change materials. In addition, phase-change materials are ideal functional materials for use in integrated photonic memory, which provides a new paradigm in all-photonic memory.