Minority-carrier transport through an isotype amorphous-crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 heterojunction under forward bias

To predict possible minority-carrier effects in multi-level phase change memory devices, minority-carrier transport through an isotype amorphous-crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 heterojunction under forward bias is studied for the first time. Electron thermionic emission, thermal generation, drift, diffusion, radiative recombination, Auger recombination, Schockley-Read-Hall recombination via conduction band tails, valence band tails, acceptor-type mid-gap, donor-type mid-gap and multivalent defect distributions, as well as surface recombination are considered in the construction of the steady-state Continuity Equation relevant to the representative a-GST/c-GST heterojunction, which is then numerically solved at 0.15 V and 0.40 V using solar cell capacitance simulations. Provided that radiative recombination is negligible and defect distributions within the band gap of either layer are energetically localised, the simulated electron concentration, electron current density and electron quasi-Fermi level distributions across the heterojunction reveal that transport through the amorphous layer limits electron flow through the device. At low applied bias, net recombination and diffusion within the quasi-neutral region of the amorphous layer dominate, whereas at larger applied bias, drift across the quasi-neutral region, due to the electric field induced by the significant majority-carrier current density, as well as surface recombination at the amorphous layer contact contribute significantly. Within the crystalline layer, net generation of electrons supplies the amorphous layer at all biases, assuming that the crystalline layer contact does not limit electron transport. Thus, the effect of forward bias on the dominant transport mechanisms through the a-GST/c-GST heterojunction demonstrated herein represents the key contribution of this paper.