Samarium doped Sn15Sb85: a promising material for phase change memory applications

The thermal stability of phase change films is a key parameter in phase change memory (PCM) applications. Here, we find that the Sm doped Sn15Sb85 films have a higher crystallization temperature and a better data retention ability in comparison with those of pure amorphous SnSb films, revealing a potential candidate for PCM applications. In addition, it demonstrated that the Sm doping was also propitious to reduce the power consumption and decrease the change of roughness in the crystallization process. Finally, the data storage capability of the Sm0.015(Sn15Sb85)0.985-based PCM cell was obtained with a reversible phase change process between high and low resistance states.