Effect of In incorporated into SbTe on phase change characteristics resulting from changes in electronic structure

• Published in: Applied physics letters 2010-02, Vol.96 (5), p.052112-052112-3
• Main Authors: Jang, Moon Hyung, Park, Seung Jong, Lim, Dong Heok, Park, Sung Jin, Cho, Mann-Ho, Ko, Dae-Hong, Heo, M. Y., Sohn, Hyun Chul, Kim, Sang-Ok
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.3308479

The effects of the In content of InSbTe films with various stoichiometries ( Sb 2 Te 2.7 , In 0.5 Sb 2 Te 2.9 , and In 2.6 Sb 2 Te 2.9 ) on phase change characteristics were investigated. With increasing incorporation of In atoms into Sb 2 Te 3 , various crystalline phases, i.e., In 2 Te 3 , Sb, and In 3 SbTe 2 , were observed due to the bond energy between the constituent atoms, while only Sb 2 Te 3 and the Sb 2 Te 2 phases were observed in the case of Sb 2 Te 2.7 and In 0.5 Sb 2 Te 2.9 films. In addition, the shifts in binding energy of the Sb   3 d and In   3 d peaks in x-ray photoelectron spectra after the annealing treatment were directly related to the amount of incorporated In. The observed changes in electronic structure suggest that the changes in electrical conductivity and crystalline phase are directly related to the extent of In incorporation.