Direct Observation of Ti-Centered Octahedrons in High-Speed and Low-Energy Ti-Sb-Te Phase Change Material

DOI number:10.1038/ncomms10040

Journal:Nature Communications

Key Words:SB；CRYSTALLIZATION；DYNAMICS,；ORDER；POWER

Abstract:Phase-change memory based on Ti0.4Sb2Te3 material has one order of magnitude faster Set speed and as low as one-fifth of the Reset energy compared with the conventional Ge2Sb2Te5 based device. However, the phase-transition mechanism of the Ti0.4Sb2Te3 material remains inconclusive due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. Here we report a direct atom-by-atom chemical identification of titanium-centered octahedra in crystalline Ti0.4Sb2Te3 material with a state-of-the-art atomic mapping technology. Further, by using soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density function theory simulations, we identify in amorphous Ti0.4Sb2Te3 the titanium atoms preferably maintain the octahedral configuration. Our work may pave the way to more thorough understanding and tailoring of the nature of the Ti–Sb–Te material, for promoting the development of dynamic random access memory-like phase-change memory as an emerging storage-class memory to reform current memory hierarchy.

First Author:Feng Rao

Co-author:Yan Cheng,Mengjiao Xia, Wei Li, Keyuan Ding, Xuefei Feng, Min Zhu, Songlin Feng

Correspondence Author:Zhitang Song,Xiaosong Liu

Document Code:10040

Volume:6

ISSN No.:2041-1723

Translation or Not:no

Date of Publication:2015-11-27

Links to published journals:https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10040