Characterization of the thermal properties for Si-implanted Sb ₂Te₃ phase change material

The microstructure and thermal properties of Si-implanted Sb ₂Te₃ were investigated. Crystalline Si-implanted Sb ₂Te₃ film with relatively uniform composition depth profile was fabricated, which consists of Si^4-x (0 < x < 1) ions and crystalline Sb₂Te₃. No separated Te phase was found. The crystallization activation energies of crystallization increase with Si dose from 5 × 10¹⁵ to 2.16 × 10¹⁶ Si-ions/cm². The crystallization temperatures of the films are 149, 168, and 174°C with 5 × 10¹⁵, 1 × 10¹⁶, and 2.16 × 10¹⁶ Si-ions/cm² ion implantation, respectively. Furthermore, the Sb₂Te₃ film implanted with the dose of 1 × 10¹⁶ Si-ions/cm² can maintain the data for 10 yr at 85°C, which is comparable to Ge₂Sb ₂Te₅. The results indicate that the Si-implanted Sb ₂Te₃ is a promising candidate for phase change memory application.