Thermal properties of carbon nitride toward use as an electrode in phase change memory devices

Abstract

In phase change memory cells, the majority of heat is lost through the electrodes during the programming process, which leads to significant drops in the performance of the memory device. In this Letter, we report on the thermal properties of thin film carbon nitride with a modest electrical resistivity of 5–10 mΩ cm, a low thermal conductivity of 1.47 ± 0.09 W m−1 K–1, and a low interfacial thermal conductance between carbon nitride and phase change material for length scales below 40 nm. The thermally insulating property of carbon nitride makes it a suitable thermal barrier, allowing for less heat loss during Joule heating within the memory unit. We compare the thermal properties of carbon nitride against the commonly used electrodes and insulators such as tungsten and silicon nitride, respectively, to demonstrate the promise of carbon nitride as a potential material candidate for electrode applications in phase change memory devices.