Nitrogen-Doped Ge10Sb90 Phase Change Thin Films for High-Temperature Data Retention and High-Speed Application

The amorphous to crystalline phase change of nitrogen-doped Ge 10 Sb 90 thin films were investigated by in␣situ film resistance measurements. The thermal stability and data retention increased with the increase of N doping concentration. Compared with Ge 10 Sb 90 , a higher crystalline resistance of N-doped Ge 10 Sb 90 thin films was obtained, which is beneficial for the reduction of RESET operation consumption of phase change memory. The analysis of x-ray diffractomer indicated that nitrogen doping can refine the grain size. The measurement of atomic force microscopy revealed that the crystallization was inhibited and the surface of thin films became smoother after N doping. A reversible phase transition was realized by the picosecond laser pulses and the switching speed of crystallization was measured.