Unravelling the amorphous structure and crystallization mechanism of GeTe phase change memory materials

Simon Wintersteller, Olesya Yarema, Dhananjeya Kumaar, Florian M. Schenk, Olga V. Safonova, Paula M. Abdala, Vanessa Wood and Maksym Yarema ()
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Simon Wintersteller: ETH Zürich
Olesya Yarema: ETH Zürich
Dhananjeya Kumaar: ETH Zürich
Florian M. Schenk: ETH Zürich
Olga V. Safonova: Paul Scherrer Institute
Paula M. Abdala: ETH Zurich
Vanessa Wood: ETH Zürich
Maksym Yarema: ETH Zürich

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract The reversible phase transitions in phase-change memory devices can switch on the order of nanoseconds, suggesting a close structural resemblance between the amorphous and crystalline phases. Despite this, the link between crystalline and amorphous tellurides is not fully understood nor quantified. Here we use in-situ high-temperature x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and theoretical calculations to quantify the amorphous structure of bulk and nanoscale GeTe. Based on XAS experiments, we develop a theoretical model of the amorphous GeTe structure, consisting of a disordered fcc-type Te sublattice and randomly arranged chains of Ge atoms in a tetrahedral coordination. Strikingly, our intuitive and scalable model provides an accurate description of the structural dynamics in phase-change memory materials, observed experimentally. Specifically, we present a detailed crystallization mechanism through the formation of an intermediate, partially stable ‘ideal glass’ state and demonstrate differences between bulk and nanoscale GeTe leading to size-dependent crystallization temperature.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45327-7

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