Picosecond Operation of Optoelectronic Hybrid Phase Change Memory Based on Si-Doped Sb Films

Phase-change random access memory is anticipated to break the bottleneck of the “storage wall” due to its advantages in simultaneous data storage and in-memory computing. However, operation speed constrains its application scenarios. Antimony (Sb) thin film has ultrafast phase change speeds, low power consumption, and a straightforward chemical composition. In this study, silicon (Si) doping is employed to enhance the stability of pure Sb while achieving both ultrafast operational speeds and superior thermal stability concurrently. By utilizing optoelectronic hybrid phase change memory, the SET and RESET operation speeds can reach as fast as 26 and 13 ps, respectively, when using Si-doped Sb films. The absence of the Si─Sb bond results in simple cubic nuclei within the amorphous film, which is posited as the structural basis for the high operational speed. These novel insights into ultrafast speed and phase mechanisms are poised to have valuable evidence for future high-speed memory designs.