Pseudobinary Al2Te3-Sb2Te3 material for high speed phase change memory application

Abstract

Al2Sb2Te6 is a pseudobinary material constructed by Sb2Te3 (fast crystallization speed but thermally unstable) and Al2Te3 (thermally stable but without memory switching ability). Al2Sb2Te6 material possesses advantages of these two binary compounds showing good memory switching ability with fast switching speed and good thermal stability. These improvements are believed to be closely related to the coordination situations of Al atoms in Al2Sb2Te6 material. Phase change memory device using Al2Sb2Te6 showed high speed (∼5 ns), low power consumption, and high endurance (∼106 cycles). Thus, we consider that Al2Sb2Te6 can be one of the most promising materials for phase change memory use.