{"title":"Application of (MoTe2)xSb1-x thin films with high speed and high stability in phase-change memory","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.micrna.2024.207952","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nanoscale phase change films of (MoTe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>x</sub>Sb<sub>1-x</sub> were prepared using magnetron sputtering technique. The investigation focused on the influence of the presence of MoTe<sub>2</sub> on the phase change characteristics of Sb materials as well as the electrical properties of devices. (MoTe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>x</sub>Sb<sub>1-x</sub> phase change films showed good thermal stability, especially for (MoTe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>0.08</sub>Sb<sub>0.92</sub> films. (MoTe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>x</sub>Sb<sub>1-x</sub> films had higher phase change temperature (∼185 °C), larger crystallization activation energy (∼4.0 eV), smaller resistance drift index (∼0.03582), and wider band gap (0.629 eV) than pure Sb films, indicating better thermal stability. According to X-Ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscope, it could be found that doping MoTe<sub>2</sub> in Sb could inhibit the grain growth and make the surface of Sb film flatter. According to the outcomes stemming from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, some bonds involving Mo–Te and Sb–Sb underwent breakage and actively contributed to the formation process of other chemical bonds at the interface. The formation of small Sb<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> and Sb grains in the as-deposited state played a role in inducing crystallization and accelerating phase transition. The band gap in (MoTe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>x</sub>Sb<sub>1-x</sub> films augmented with the increase of MoTe<sub>2</sub> content. The power consumption of the (MoTe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>0.08</sub>Sb<sub>0.92</sub>-based phase-change memory device was considerably reduced compared to GST film and could achieve ultra-fast resistance transition within 10 ns. The results showed that (MoTe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>x</sub>Sb<sub>1-x</sub> phase change films have the advantages of high stability, low power consumption, and rapid speed, which is a potential choice for phase change memory.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100923,"journal":{"name":"Micro and Nanostructures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Micro and Nanostructures","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773012324002012","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PHYSICS, CONDENSED MATTER","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Nanoscale phase change films of (MoTe2)xSb1-x were prepared using magnetron sputtering technique. The investigation focused on the influence of the presence of MoTe2 on the phase change characteristics of Sb materials as well as the electrical properties of devices. (MoTe2)xSb1-x phase change films showed good thermal stability, especially for (MoTe2)0.08Sb0.92 films. (MoTe2)xSb1-x films had higher phase change temperature (∼185 °C), larger crystallization activation energy (∼4.0 eV), smaller resistance drift index (∼0.03582), and wider band gap (0.629 eV) than pure Sb films, indicating better thermal stability. According to X-Ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscope, it could be found that doping MoTe2 in Sb could inhibit the grain growth and make the surface of Sb film flatter. According to the outcomes stemming from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, some bonds involving Mo–Te and Sb–Sb underwent breakage and actively contributed to the formation process of other chemical bonds at the interface. The formation of small Sb2Te3 and Sb grains in the as-deposited state played a role in inducing crystallization and accelerating phase transition. The band gap in (MoTe2)xSb1-x films augmented with the increase of MoTe2 content. The power consumption of the (MoTe2)0.08Sb0.92-based phase-change memory device was considerably reduced compared to GST film and could achieve ultra-fast resistance transition within 10 ns. The results showed that (MoTe2)xSb1-x phase change films have the advantages of high stability, low power consumption, and rapid speed, which is a potential choice for phase change memory.