R&D: Overview of Role of Alloying Modifiers on Performance of Phase Change Memory Materials

Journal of Electronic Materials has published an article written by Lei Kang, and Leng Chen, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.

Abstract: “Phase change memory (PCM) based on chalcogenide compounds is considered to be an excellent candidate for next-generation memory because of its high speed, low energy consumption, high-density information storage, and durable stability. This has become a topic of general interest during the last two decades. Various systems have been proposed to explore more suitable compositions for PCM applications such as Ge-Te and Sb-Te binary alloys, GeTe-Sb₂Te₃ pseudo-binary alloys, and novel Te-free Sb-based alloys. In spite of this, the comprehensive performance of these pure systems still cannot fully satisfy the need for commercialization. Modification of alloys is an effective approach to enhance performance; this has been investigated significantly. Nevertheless, there are relatively few reports that directly provide integrated data on the effect of various alloying modifiers on the properties of PCM materials to obtain the relevant information conveniently, understand the role of chemical tailors on the properties of PCM materials deeply, and select modifiers matching the matrix systems efficiently. To achieve these goals and facilitate studies on PCM materials, this overview begins by summarizing and analyzing the role of alloying tailors on the performance of representative GeTe, Sb₂Te₃, Ge₂Sb₂Te₅, and Sb-based systems containing Te (Sb₂Te, Sb₃Te, Sb₄Te) and without Te (Sb-M), followed by comparing the comprehensive performance of optimized systems.“