Carbon-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 phase change material: A candidate for high-density phase change memory application

Carbon-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 material is proposed for high-density phase-change memories. The carbon doping effects on electrical and structural properties of Ge2Sb2Te5 are studied by in situ resistance and x-ray diffraction measurements as well as optical spectroscopy. C atoms are found to significantly enhance the thermal stability of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 by increasing the degree of disorder of the amorphous phase. The reversible electrical switching capability of the phase-change memory cells is improved in terms of power consumption with carbon addition. The endurance of similar to 2.1 x 10(4) cycles suggests that C-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 film will be a potential phase-change material for high-density storage application. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4757137]