Optical contrast and laser-induced phase transition in GeCu ₂Te₃ thin film

Fast crystallization and low power amorphization are essential to achieve rapid data recording and low power consumption in phase-change memory. This work investigated the laser-induced phase transition behaviors of GeCu ₂Te₃ film based on the reflectance of amorphous and crystalline states. The GeCu₂Te₃ film showed a reflectance decrease upon crystallization, which was the opposite behavior in Ge ₂Sb₂Te₅ film. The crystallization starting time of the as-deposited GeCu₂Te₃ film was as fast as that of the as-deposited Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ film. Furthermore, the GeCu₂Te₃ crystalline film was found to be reamorphized by laser irradiation at lower power and shorter pulse width than the Ge ₂Sb₂Te₅.