Influence of Sn Migration on Phase Transition in GeTe and Ge₂Se₃ Thin Films

Authors

Archana Devasia, Rochester Institute of Technology
Santosh Kurinec, Rochester Institute of Technology
Kristy A. Campbell, Boise State UniversityFollow
Simone Raoux, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-5-2010

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.33857811

Abstract

Phase transitions in GeTe/SnSe and Ge₂Se₃/SnTe are investigated using time resolved x-ray diffraction. GeTe exhibits a structural transition from rhombohedral to the cubic phase at 300 °C, which is ∼ 100 °C lower than that of pure GeTe. This is facilitated by incorporation of Sn from SnSe. Sn migration is observed explicitly in Ge₂Se₃/SnTe by separation of SnSe phase. Amorphous Ge₂Se₃ is also found to crystallize at a lower temperature of 300 °C resulting in orthorhombic GeSe and monoclinic GeSe₂. Thus, inclusion of a Sn containing layer may offer a means to tailor phase transition in Ge-chalcogenide thin films for phase change memory applications.

Publication Information

Devasia, Archana; Kurinec, Santosh; Campbell, Kristy A.; and Raoux, Simone. (2010). "Influence of Sn Migration on Phase Transition in GeTe and Ge₂Se₃ Thin Films". Applied Physics Letters, 96(14), 141908-1 - 141908-3.