Assessment of Se based phase change alloy as a candidate for non-volatile electronic memory applications.

The structural, electrical and optical properties of the phase change alloy AgSbSe₂ were investigated and compared with its Te-based counterpart AgSbTe₂. A huge electrical resistance change of more than four orders of magnitude is probed during the amorphous-to-crystalline transition, accompanied with high optical contrast and small volume change. Furthermore, recrystallization can be realized within 10 ns, which could be correlated with the observed low transition temperature and the simple NaCl-type crystalline structure. These properties indicate that Se-based alloys might be suitable materials for phase change recording, replacing Te based alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]