Amorphous-to-crystal transition of nitrogen- and oxygen-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 films studied by in situ resistance measurements

The amorphous-to-crystal transition has been studied through in situ resistance measurements in Ge2Sb2Te5 thin films doped by ion implantation with nitrogen or oxygen. The dependence of the electrical resistivity and structure on the annealing temperature and time has been investigated in samples with different dopant concentrations. Enhancement of the thermal stability and increase of the mobility gap for conduction have been observed in O- and N-doped amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5. Larger effects have been found in the case of nitrogen doping. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.