Characterization of In₂₀Ge₁₅Sb₁₀Te₅₅ Phase Change Material for Phase Change Memory with Low Power Operation and Good Data Retention

Abstract

An indium-incorporated germanium–antimony–telluride material, In 20 Ge 15 Sb 10 Te 55 (IGST), was investigated as a recording material for phase change memory. The crystallization temperature of IGST was 226 °C, which is 75 °C higher than that of conventional GST. The reset current of the device using IGST was about 10 mA for a plug 180 nm in diameter, which enabled a low-power operation, compared with the GST-based device. A cycle endurance of up to 1.5×10 4 was achieved. The data retention was estimated to be 10 years at 145 °C. These data clearly show that IGST exhibits promising characteristics as a recording material for phase change memory.