Author(s): Wu, WH (Wu, Weihua); Sun, YM (Sun, Yuemei); Zhu, XQ (Zhu, Xiaoqin); Shen, B (Shen, Bo); Zhai, JW (Zhai, Jiwei); Yue, ZX (Yue, Zhenxing)

Source: APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS Volume: 118 Issue: 8 Article Number: 081903 DOI: 10.1063/5.0024839 Published: FEB 22 2021

Abstract: 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.

Accession Number: WOS:000630400800002

Author Identifiers:

Author        Web of Science ResearcherID        ORCID Number

Zhai, Jiwei                  0000-0002-0020-3524

ISSN: 0003-6951

eISSN: 1077-3118

Full Text: https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0024839