New pathway for the formation of metallic cubic phase Ge-Sb-Te compounds induced by an electric current

Scientific Reports
Yong-Jin ParkYoung-Chang Joo

Abstract

The novel discovery of a current-induced transition from insulator to metal in the crystalline phase of Ge2Sb2Te5 and GeSb4Te7 have been studied by means of a model using line-patterned samples. The resistivity of cubic phase Ge-Sb-Te compound was reduced by an electrical current (~1 MA/cm(2)), and the final resistivity was determined based on the stress current density, regardless of the initial resistivity and temperature, which indicates that the conductivity of Ge-Sb-Te compound can be modulated by an electrical current. The minimum resistivity of Ge-Sb-Te materials can be achieved at high kinetic rates by applying an electrical current, and the material properties change from insulating to metallic behavior without a phase transition. The current-induced metal transition is more effective in GeSb4Te7 than Ge2Sb2Te5, which depends on the intrinsic vacancy of materials. Electromigration, which is the migration of atoms induced by a momentum transfer from charge carriers, can easily promote the rearrangement of vacancies in the cubic phase of Ge-Sb-Te compound. This behavior differs significantly from thermal annealing, which accompanies a phase transition to the hexagonal phase. This result suggests a new pathway for modulat...Continue Reading

References

Nov 2, 2007·Nature Materials·Matthias Wuttig, Noboru Yamada
Jan 11, 2011·Nature Materials·T SiegristM Wuttig
Apr 7, 2011·Advanced Materials·Dominic LencerMatthias Wuttig

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Citations

Sep 22, 2017·Inorganic Chemistry·Shixiong HeZhimei Sun

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
transmission electron microscopy
X-ray

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