Vanadium Doped Sb2te3 Material With Modified Crystallization Mechanism For Phase-Change Memory Application

In this paper, V0.21Sb2Te3 (VST) has been proposed for phase-change memory applications. With vanadium incorporating, VST has better thermal stability than Sb2Te3 and can maintain in amorphous phase at room temperature. Two resistance steps were observed in temperature dependent resistance measurements. By real-time observing the temperature dependent lattice structure evolution, VST presents as a homogenous phase throughout the whole thermal process. Combining Hall measurement and transmission electron microscopy results, we can ascribe the two resistance steps to the unique crystallization mechanism of VST material. Then, the amorphous thermal stability enhancement can also be rooted in the suppression of the fast growth crystallization mechanism. Furthermore, the applicability of VST is demonstrated by resistance-voltage measurement, and the phase transition of VST can be triggered by a 15 ns electric pulse. In addition, endurance up to 2: 7 x 10(4) cycles makes VST a promising candidate for phase-change memory applications. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.