Abstract
Multi-level switching memristor devices are becoming a need of the hour to implement the synaptic behaviour for brain-inspired in-memory computing. In that regard, out of all the available memory candidates, Phase Change Memory (PCM) is an attractive option as it is technologically mature, and its physical mechanism is well understood. However, the current generation of PCM materials suffers from stochasticity in their multi-level switching. In this communication, nitrogen alloyed GaSb (N-GaSb) material is proposed as a multi-level switching PCM material to redress stochasticity. Interestingly, N-GaSb exhibits well-defined three states, and it is found to reduce the threshold switching power of GaSb from 16 mW to 17.2 μW. The reason behind multi-level switching and the reduction in required power for threshold switching in N-GaSb has been revealed by synchrotron-based grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy.
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs40010-023-00832-0/MediaObjects/40010_2023_832_Fig1_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs40010-023-00832-0/MediaObjects/40010_2023_832_Fig2_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs40010-023-00832-0/MediaObjects/40010_2023_832_Fig3_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs40010-023-00832-0/MediaObjects/40010_2023_832_Fig4_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs40010-023-00832-0/MediaObjects/40010_2023_832_Fig5_HTML.png)
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Sebastian A, Le Gallo M, Burr GW, Kim S, BrightSky M, Eleftheriou E (2018) Tutorial: brain-inspired computing using phase-change memory devices. J Appl Phys 124(11):111101
Wuttig M, Yamada N (2007) Phase-change materials for rewriteable data storage. Nat Mater 6(11):824–832
Loke D, Lee T, Wang W, Shi L, Zhao R, Yeo Y, Chong T, Elliott S (2012) Breaking the speed limits of phase-change memory. Science 336(6088):1566–1569
Kim T, Lee S (2020) Evolution of phase-change memory for the storage-class memory and beyond. IEEE Trans Electron Dev 67(4):1394–1406
Ielmini D (2008) Threshold switching mechanism by high-field energy gain in the hop** transport of chalcogenide glasses. Phys Rev B 78(3):035308
Cheng H-Y, Raoux S, Nguyen KV, Shenoy RS, BrightSky M (2014) Ga46Sb54 material for fast switching and Pb-free soldering reflow process complying phase-change memory. ECS J Solid State Sci Technol 3(7):P263
Kim Y, Baeck J, Cho M-H, Jeong E, Ko D-H (2006) Effects of N2+ ion implantation on phase transition in Ge2Sb2Te5 films. J Appl Phys 100(8):083502
Shelby RM, Raoux S (2009) Crystallization dynamics of nitrogen-doped Ge2Sb2Te5. J Appl Phys 105(10):104902
Lai Y, Qiao B, Feng J, Ling Y, Lai L, Lin Y, Tang T, Cai B, Chen B (2005) Nitrogen-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 films for nonvolatile memory. J Electron Mater 34(2):176–181
Kim K-H, Park J-C, Lee J-H, Chung J-G, Heo S, Choi S-J (2010) Nitrogen-do** effect on Ge2Sb2Te5 chalcogenide alloy films during annealing. Jpn J Appl Phys 49(10R):101201
Fang X, Wei Z, Fang D, Chu X, Tang J, Wang D, Wang X, Li J, Li Y, Yao B (2018) Surface state passivation and optical properties investigation of GaSb via nitrogen plasma treatment. ACS Omega 3(4):4412–4417
Putero M, Coulet MV, Muller C, Baehtz C, Raoux S, Cheng HY (2016) Ge-doped GaSb thin films with zero mass density change upon crystallization for applications in phase change memories. Appl Phys Lett 108(10):101909
Rajpalke MK, Linhart WM, Birkett M, Yu KM, Scanlon DO, Buckeridge J, Jones TS, Ashwin MJ, Veal TD (2013) Growth and properties of GaSbBi alloys. Appl Phys Lett 103(14):142106
Rajpalke MK, Linhart WM, Birkett M, Yu KM, Alaria J, Kopaczek J, Kudrawiec R, Jones TS, Ashwin MJ, Veal TD (2014) High Bi content GaSbBi alloys. J Appl Phys 116(4):043511
Tirado-Mejía L, Villada JA, de los Ríos M, Peñafiel JA, Fonthal G, Espinosa-Arbeláez DG, Ariza-Calderón H, Rodríguez-García ME, (2008) Optical and structural characterization of GaSb and Te-doped GaSb single crystals. Physica B Condens Matter 403(21–22):4027–4032
Velea A, Borca CN, Socol G, Galca AC, Grolimund D, Popescu M, van Bokhoven JA (2014) In-situ crystallization of GeTe\GaSb phase change memory stacked films. J Appl Phys 116(23):234306
Jiang K, Lu Y, Li Z, Wang M, Shen X, Wang G, Song S, Song Z (2018) GeTe/Sb4Te films: a candidate for multilevel phase change memory. Mater Sci Eng B 231:81–85
Gotow T, Fujikawa S, Fujishiro HI, Ogura M, Chang WH, Yasuda T, Maeda T (2017) Surface cleaning and pure nitridation of GaSb by in-situ plasma processing. AIP Adv 7(10):105117
Kim J-J, Kobayashi K, Ikenaga E, Kobata M, Ueda S, Matsunaga T, Kifune K, Kojima R, Yamada N (2007) Electronic structure of amorphous and crystalline (Ge Te) 1–x (Sb 2 Te 3) x investigated using hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Phys Rev B 76(11):115124
Raoux S, König AK, Cheng HY, Garbin D, Cheek RW, Jordan-Sweet JL, Wuttig M (2012) Phase transitions in Ga–Sb phase change alloys. Phys Status Solidi B 249(10):1999–2004
Dixon J, Elliott S (2014) Origin of the reverse optical-contrast change of Ga-Sb phase-change materials—an ab initio molecular-dynamics study. Appl Phys Lett 104(14):141905
Liu Y, Lu Q, Lin G, Liu J, Lu S, Tang Z, He H, Fu Y, Shen X (2019) Effect of thermal annealing on properties of amorphous GaN/p-Si heterojunctions. Mater Res Express 6(8):085904
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Relevance: Brain-inspired, universal, and in-memory computing technology is needed to remove the von-Neumann architecture bottleneck. To achieve that, we need memories with multiple well-defined resistance levels. For that purpose, we propose a novel N-alloyed GaSb-based phase change alloy exhibiting multi-level threshold switching.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Asirvatham, J., Walczak, L. & Kanjilal, A. Multi-level Threshold Switching and Crystallization Characteristics of Nitrogen Alloyed GaSb for Phase Change Memory Application. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., India, Sect. A Phys. Sci. 93, 425–431 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40010-023-00832-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40010-023-00832-0