Electrical switching, SET-RESET, and Raman scattering studies on Ge15Te80−xIn5Agx glasses

Abstract

Bulk Ge15Te85−xIn5Agx glasses are shown to exhibit electrical switching with switching/threshold voltages in the range of 70–120 V for a sample thickness of 0.3 mm. Further, the samples exhibit threshold or memory behavior depending on the ON state current. The compositional studies confirm the presence of an intermediate phase in the range 8 ≤ x ≤ 16, revealed earlier by thermal studies. Further, SET-RESET studies have been performed by these glasses using a triangular pulse of 6 mA amplitude (for SET) and 21 mA amplitude (for RESET). Raman studies of the samples after the SET and RESET operations reveal that the SET state is a crystalline phase which is obtained by thermal annealing and the RESET state is the glassy state, similar to the as-quenched samples. It is interesting to note that the samples in the intermediate phase, especially compositions at x = 10, 12, and 14 withstand more set-reset cycles. This indicates compositions in the intermediate phase are better suited for phase change memory applications.