title: Toward the ultimate limit of phase change in Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5).
abstract: The limit to which the phase change memory material Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) can be scaled toward the smallest possible memory cell is investigated using structural and optical methodologies. The encapsulation material surrounding the Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) has an increasingly dominant effect on the material's ability to change phase, and a profound increase in the crystallization temperature is observed when the Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) layer is less than 6 nm thick. We have found that the increased crystallization temperature originates from compressive stress exerted from the encapsulation material. By minimizing the stress, we have maintained the bulk crystallization temperature in Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) films just 2 nm thick.
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Near-Field Optics Research, National Institute of Applied Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba Central4, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8562, Japan. robert.simpson@aist.go.jp
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krbal
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fons
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kolobov
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tominaga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uruga
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanida