am8b16033_si_001.pdf (986.27 kB)
Ultrafast Nanoscale Phase-Change Memory Enabled By Single-Pulse Conditioning
journal contribution
posted on 2018-12-03, 14:50 authored by Desmond K. Loke, Jonathan M. Skelton, Tae Hoon Lee, Rong Zhao, Tow-Chong Chong, Stephen R. ElliottWe describe how the crystallization
kinetics of a suite of phase-change
systems can be controlled by using a single-shot treatment via “initial
crystallization” effects. Ultrarapid and highly stable phase-change
structures (with excellent characteristics), viz. conventional and
sub-10 nm sized cells (400 ps switching and 368 K for 10 year data
retention), stackable cells (900 ps switching and 1 × 106 cycles for similar “switching-on” voltages),
and multilevel configurations (800 ps switching and resistance-drift
power-law coefficients <0.11) have been demonstrated. Material
measurements and thermal calculations also reveal the origin of the
pretreatment-assisted increase in crystallization rates and the thermal
diffusion in chalcogenide structures, respectively.