Abstract
The electronic structure of the as-deposited amorphous and crystalline phases of the transition-metal based Cu2GeTe3 phase-change material has been systematically investigated using hard-X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and density-functional theory simulations. We shed light on Cu d electrons and reveal that participation of d electrons in the bonding plays an important role during the phase-change process. A large electrical contrast as well as fast switching is preserved even in the tetrahedrally-bonded crystal structure, which does not possess resonant bonding. Based on the obtained results, we propose that transition-metal based phase change materials that have been previously overlooked will be candidates not only for non-volatile memory applications, but also for emerging applications.
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