R&D: Phase Change Behavior of Si/Sb Superlattice-Like Thin Film on Flexible Substrate

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices has published an article written by Cheng Wang, and Yifeng Hu, School of Mathematics and Physics, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou, China.

Abstract: “As an important part of flexible electronic devices, high-performance and flexible memory is essential for the further development of integrated circuits. In this article, Si/Sb superlattice-like (SLL) films with different components were prepared on flexible polyether ether ketone (PEEK) substrates, and their phase transition performance was verified by an in situ heating station. After 104 bending cycles, the film still achieved an effective amorphous–crystalline transition with a small resistance fluctuation. The multiple bending made the surface texture of the flexible film more ordered as well as a smaller surface roughness. The bending also resulted in refined grains and higher crystalline resistance. Phase change memory (PCM) device cells with Si/Sb SLL films on PEEK substrates were fabricated. A reversible operation of RESET and SET could be achieved with over two orders of magnitude difference between high and low resistances. All these experimental results showed that Si/Sb SLL films with PEEK as the substrate had promising applications in flexible memories.“