Alx(Sn2Se3)1-x phase change films for high-temperature data retention and fast transition speed application

Phase change behavior in Al-x(Sn2Se3)(1-x) (x = 0.003, 0.010, 0.023) films were investigated by utilizing in situ resistance measurements. It is found that the crystallization temperatures and resistances increase with increasing of Al content. The analysis of X-ray diffraction indicates that the grain size decreases and the crystallization is suppressed by more Al doping. Al-0.023(Sn2Se3)(0.977) has an excellent thermal stability with the crystallization activation energy of 3.79 eV and the failure time is longer than that of Ge2Sb2Te5 film. The crystallization speed of Al-0.023(Sn2Se3)(0.977) film is faster than that of GST. The phase transition kinetics of Al-0.023(Sn2Se3)(0.977) films were investigated. The obtained values of Avrami indexes indicate that a one dimensional growth-dominated mechanism is responsible for the amorphous-crystalline transformation of Al-0.023(Sn2Se3)(0.977) film. We conclude that Al-0.023(Sn2Se3)(0.977) film is a good candidate for phase-change random-access memory applications with good thermal stability and high switching speed.