title: Picosecond Electric-Field-Induced Threshold Switching in Phase-Change Materials.
abstract: Many chalcogenide glasses undergo a breakdown in electronic resistance above a critical field strength. Known as threshold switching, this mechanism enables field-induced crystallization in emerging phase-change memory. Purely electronic as well as crystal nucleation assisted models have been employed to explain the electronic breakdown. Here, picosecond electric pulses are used to excite amorphous Ag_{4}In_{3}Sb_{67}Te_{26}. Field-dependent reversible changes in conductivity and pulse-driven crystallization are observed. The present results show that threshold switching can take place within the electric pulse on subpicosecond time scales-faster than crystals can nucleate. This supports purely electronic models of threshold switching and reveals potential applications as an ultrafast electronic switch.
authors.affiliation: Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zalden
authors.affiliation: Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.affiliation: Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoxi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.
authors.forename: Haidan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Zhi-Xun
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Landreman
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brongersma
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Scott W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: H-S Philip
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Meng-Ju
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sher
authors.affiliation: I. Physikalisches Institut (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jost
authors.affiliation: I. Physikalisches Institut (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaes
authors.affiliation: I. Physikalisches Institut (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salinga
authors.affiliation: I. Physikalisches Institut (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Hoegen
authors.affiliation: I. Physikalisches Institut (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.|JARA - Fundamentals of Information Technology, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wuttig
authors.affiliation: Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|PULSE Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.|Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lindenberg