Aging mechanisms in amorphous phase-change materials

Jean Yves Raty, Wei Zhang, Jennifer Luckas, Chao Chen, Riccardo Mazzarello, Christophe Bichara and Matthias Wuttig ()
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Jean Yves Raty: Physics of Solids Interfaces and Nanostructures, B5, Université de Liège
Wei Zhang: I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University
Jennifer Luckas: I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University
Chao Chen: I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University
Riccardo Mazzarello: Institute for Theoretical Solid State Physics, RWTH Aachen University
Christophe Bichara: Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), Aix-Marseille University and CNRS
Matthias Wuttig: I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Aging is a ubiquitous phenomenon in glasses. In the case of phase-change materials, it leads to a drift in the electrical resistance, which hinders the development of ultrahigh density storage devices. Here we elucidate the aging process in amorphous GeTe, a prototypical phase-change material, by advanced numerical simulations, photothermal deflection spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy experiments. We show that aging is accompanied by a progressive change of the local chemical order towards the crystalline one. Yet, the glass evolves towards a covalent amorphous network with increasing Peierls distortion, whose structural and electronic properties drift away from those of the resonantly bonded crystal. This behaviour sets phase-change materials apart from conventional glass-forming systems, which display the same local structure and bonding in both phases.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8467

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