Origin of the unusual reflectance and density contrasts in the phase-change material Cu2GeTe3

J. M. Skelton; K. Kobayashi; Y. Sutou; S. R. Elliott

doi:10.1063/1.4809598

Origin of the unusual reflectance and density contrasts in the phase-change material Cu₂GeTe₃

J. M. Skelton, K. Kobayashi, Y. Sutou, S. R. Elliott

ENG - Materials Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The recent demonstration of Cu₂GeTe₃ (CGT) as a potential phase-change material (PCM) for next-generation non-volatile memories represents a significant discovery. In contrast to widely studied PCMs, amorphous CGT is denser and more reflective than crystalline CGT, and the phase transition takes place to a tetrahedrally bonded crystal, a very different geometry to the octahedrally bonded cubic structures adopted by other PCMs. We have performed a computer-simulational study of CGT, investigating the atomic-level structure and physical properties of both phases. Our results lead to hypotheses to account for the higher amorphous-phase density and reflectivity, which may provide new design criteria for identifying novel PCMs.

Original language	English
Article number	224105
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	102
Issue number	22
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4809598
Publication status	Published - 2013 Jun 3

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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10.1063/1.4809598

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abstract = "The recent demonstration of Cu2GeTe3 (CGT) as a potential phase-change material (PCM) for next-generation non-volatile memories represents a significant discovery. In contrast to widely studied PCMs, amorphous CGT is denser and more reflective than crystalline CGT, and the phase transition takes place to a tetrahedrally bonded crystal, a very different geometry to the octahedrally bonded cubic structures adopted by other PCMs. We have performed a computer-simulational study of CGT, investigating the atomic-level structure and physical properties of both phases. Our results lead to hypotheses to account for the higher amorphous-phase density and reflectivity, which may provide new design criteria for identifying novel PCMs.",

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note = "Funding Information: J.M.S. is indebted to Trinity College, Cambridge for the provision of a studentship. This work was carried out using the Cambridge HPC facility (www.hpc.cam.ac.uk/) and parts of this work were funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). ",

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AU - Kobayashi, K.

AU - Sutou, Y.

AU - Elliott, S. R.

N1 - Funding Information: J.M.S. is indebted to Trinity College, Cambridge for the provision of a studentship. This work was carried out using the Cambridge HPC facility (www.hpc.cam.ac.uk/) and parts of this work were funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

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N2 - The recent demonstration of Cu2GeTe3 (CGT) as a potential phase-change material (PCM) for next-generation non-volatile memories represents a significant discovery. In contrast to widely studied PCMs, amorphous CGT is denser and more reflective than crystalline CGT, and the phase transition takes place to a tetrahedrally bonded crystal, a very different geometry to the octahedrally bonded cubic structures adopted by other PCMs. We have performed a computer-simulational study of CGT, investigating the atomic-level structure and physical properties of both phases. Our results lead to hypotheses to account for the higher amorphous-phase density and reflectivity, which may provide new design criteria for identifying novel PCMs.

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Origin of the unusual reflectance and density contrasts in the phase-change material Cu₂GeTe₃

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