Pseudobinary Al ₂Te ₃-Sb ₂Te ₃ material for high speed phase change memory application

Al ₂Sb ₂Te ₆ is a pseudobinary material constructed by Sb ₂Te ₃ (fast crystallization speed but thermally unstable) and Al ₂Te ₃ (thermally stable but without memory switching ability). Al ₂Sb ₂Te ₆ material possesses advantages of these two binary compounds showing good memory switching ability with fast switching speed and good thermal stability. These improvements are believed to be closely related to the coordination situations of Al atoms in Al ₂Sb ₂Te ₆ material. Phase change memory device using Al ₂Sb ₂Te ₆ showed high speed (∼5 ns), low power consumption, and high endurance (∼10 ⁶ cycles). Thus, we consider that Al ₂Sb ₂Te ₆ can be one of the most promising materials for phase change memory use.