Low Energy Transition of GeTe RF Phase Change Switches

In this work, phase change material (PCM) is studied as applied to phase change switches (PCSs). An indirectly heated PCS was used to study the effects of applied subthreshold voltages across the PCM while the PCS is transitioned from the amorphous to the crystalline state. The bias voltage and heater pulse were independently and simultaneously applied. The results show that applying a subthreshold electric field to the PCM reduces the thermal energy required to transition it by more than 50%. The data also indicates that a critical electric field, significantly lower than the threshold voltage, appears to be responsible for initiating the rapid thermal energy reduction.