TY  - JOUR
AU  - Wang, Jiang-Jing
AU  - Wang, Jun
AU  - Xu, Yazhi
AU  - Xin, Tianjiao
AU  - Song, Zhitang
AU  - Pohlmann, Marc
AU  - Kaminski, Marvin
AU  - Lu, Lu
AU  - Du, Hongchu
AU  - Jia, Chun-Lin
AU  - Mazzarello, Riccardo
AU  - Wuttig, Matthias
AU  - Zhang, Wei
TI  - Layer‐Switching Mechanisms in Sb 2 Te 3
JO  - Physica status solidi / Rapid research letters Rapid research letters
VL  - 13
IS  - 10
SN  - 1862-6270
CY  - Weinheim
PB  - Wiley-VCH
M1  - FZJ-2020-02712
SP  - 1900320 -
PY  - 2019
AB  - Interfacial phase‐change memory (iPCM) based on layer‐structured Ge‐Sb‐Te crystals has been recently proposed, offering an energy‐efficient implementation of nonvolatile memory cells and supplementing the development of Ge‐Sb‐Te‐based phase‐change random access memories (PRAMs). Although the working principle of iPCM is still under debate, it is believed that layer‐switching plays a role in the switching process between the low‐resistance and high‐resistance states of iPCM memory cells. However, the role of Ge in forming swapped bilayers—the key elements for layer‐switching—is not yet clarified. This work manages to achieve layer‐switching in Sb2Te3 thin films by manipulating the formation of bilayer defects using magnetron sputtering and post‐thermal annealing. By combining scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) experiments with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the essential role of Sb‐Te intermixing is elucidated in stabilizing swapped bilayers at a low energy cost. In situ STEM experiments provide a real‐time and real‐space view of dynamical reconfiguration of van der Waals‐like gaps in Sb2Te3 thin films under electron‐beam irradiation. The results show that the Ge atoms are not necessary for the formation and motion of swapped bilayers, providing atomic insights on the layer‐switching mechanism in layer‐structured binary and ternary group V‐ and IV–V‐tellurides for memory applications.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000504860900019
DO  - DOI:10.1002/pssr.201900320
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/878243
ER  -