Two-Fold Reduction of Switching Current Density in Phase Change Memory Using Bi₂Te₃ Thermoelectric Interfacial Layer

Abstract

High switching current density has been a key bottleneck for phase change memory (PCM) technology. Here, we demonstrate interfacial thermoelectric heating (TEH) as a promising way of tackling this challenge. We use TEH induced by a thin Bi2Te3 interfacial layer to demonstrate $\sim 2\times $ reduction of reset current density ( ${J} _{\text{reset}}$ ) and power ( ${P} _{\text{reset}}$ ) compared to control PCM devices based on Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST). Measurements of polarity-dependent reset current and power in well-cycled devices reveal the strong TEH caused by the Bi2Te3 interfacial layer. The TEH origin of ${J} _{\text{reset}}$ reduction is further confirmed by electro-thermal simulations. Such TEH-engineered PCM devices are scalable with the bottom electrode diameter and thus could be promising for high density data storage applications.