Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme

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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten

DS 13: Poster

DS 13.24: Poster

Thursday, March 20, 2025, 18:00–20:00, P1

Investigating interfacial mechanisms and switching behavior in GST-124/Sb₂Te₃ superlattices using Atom Probe Tomography — •Athanasia Piperidou¹, Jan Köttgen¹, Lucas Bothe², Lukas Conrads¹, Yuan Yu¹, and Matthias Wuttig^{1, 2} — ¹I. Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, Germany — ²Peter Grünberg Institute - JARA-Institute Energy Efficient Information Technology (PGI-10), Jülich, Germany

Chalcogenide-based phase-change materials like GeSb₂Te₄ (GST) are crucial for non-volatile storage technologies due to their rapid and reliable switching. Reducing the energy required for transitions between amorphous and crystalline states can improve device performance significantly, as demonstrated in phase-change memories using superlattices (SLs). Here we investigate the switching behavior of MBE-grown 60nm GST-124/Sb₂Te₃ SLs. Using a pulsed laser, we induce amorphization and recrystallization processes. Atom Probe Tomography (APT) is used to compare the structural and chemical characteristics of interfaces in recrystallized and as-deposited regions. APT’s three-dimensional, near-atomic resolution reveals changes in morphology and element distribution, shedding light on the mechanisms driving switching. Our results show that the SL structure enhances switching efficiency through unique interfacial mechanisms, offering insights for the design of next-generation memory devices.

Keywords: Phase Change Materials; Atom Probe Tomography; Superlattices; Chalcogenide materials; Optical switching