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Effects of the titanium dopant on the physical properties and structure of SbSe thin films were systematically investigated by experiments and first-principles calculations. The amorphous-to-polycrystalline transformation induced by heat was examined by in situ electrical resistance measurements. With the incorporation of titanium atoms, both the crystallization temperature and electrical resistance increase, revealing the improvement of the amorphous thermal stability and programing energy consumption. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and density functional theory calculations illustrate that a small amount of titanium dopant can inhibit the grain growth and refine the crystal size. The shift of Raman modes associated Sb upon the crystallization was observed. X-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy results prove the smaller volume fluctuation and the smoother surface morphology, meaning the better interfacial property and reliability of titanium-doped SbSe materials. Phase change memory cells based on titanium-doped antimony-selenium were fabricated to evaluate the electrical performance as well. All these results indicate that the suitable incorporation of the titanium element will be an effective method to optimize the physical properties and tune the structure of the SbSe phase change material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the phase change memory (PCM) application, it is very desirable to possess better comprehensive performance in phase change materials, such as high stability, ultra-faster phase change and low power consumption. In this work, Er doped SbSe phase change materials were synthesized by magnetron sputtering technique. Compared with pure SbSe films, it was found that the crystallization temperature ( T ) increased from 207 to 221 °C by Er doping, revealing the improvement of thermal stability. In addition, the increasing resistance of amorphous and crystalline state indicated much lower power consumption for PCM. More importantly, the Er doping significantly inhibits the formation of Sb-Se phase, which is to result in much faster phase change speed. Therefore, this work elucidated that the SbSe materials with Er doping were promising candidates possessing better data retention, lower power consumption and faster phase change speed for PCM application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After compositing with Si, the superlattice-like (SLL) Si/Sb thin film had higher crystallization temperature (~ 231 °C), larger crystallization activation energy (2.95 eV), and better data retention ability (126 °C for 10 years). The crystallization of Sb in SLL Si/Sb thin films was restrained by the multilayer interfaces. The reversible resistance transition could be achieved by an electric pulse as short as 10 ns for [Si(22 nm)/Sb(2 nm)] 2 -based PCM cell. A lower operation power consumption of 0.02 mW and a good endurance of 1.0 × 10 5 cycles were achieved. In addition, SLL [Si(22 nm)/Sb(2 nm)] 2 thin film showed a low thermal conductivity of 0.11 W/(m·K). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The property of Sb phase change thin film is investigated systematically. • The growth dominated crystallization mechanism is demonstrated for Sb thin films. • An ultrafast programing operation (~5 ns) is achieved for Sb thin films. • Sb film has the advantages of fast phase transition speed and low power consumption. The property of Sb phase change thin film is investigated systematically. Sb thin film has an appropriate crystallization temperature (~165 °C) and data retention (110 °C for 10 year). Irradiated by laser pulse, the Sb thin film can achieve the crystallization operation within 6.05 ns. The monoclinic structure is confirmed by X-Ray Diffraction and the bond vibration mode of A7 phase is demonstrated by Raman scattering spectrum. With the crystallization, the band gap becomes narrow and the polycrystalline structure gradually forms. The Sb-based phase change memory cells are prepared. An ultrafast programing operation (~5 ns) and good endurance of 1.4 × 107 cycles are achieved. The results reveal that Sb thin film has promising potential in phase change memory application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]