Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 2, 626 - 630 (2007)
Published online: 16 September 2007 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.291
Subject Categories: Electronic properties and devices | Nanomaterials
Highly scalable non-volatile and ultra-low-power phase-change nanowire memory
Se-Ho Lee1,2, Yeonwoong Jung1,2 & Ritesh Agarwal1
Abstract
The search for a universal memory storage device that combines rapid read and write speeds, high storage density and non-volatility is driving the exploration of new materials in nanostructured form1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Phase-change materials, which can be reversibly switched between amorphous and crystalline states, are promising in this respect, but top-down processing of these materials into nanostructures often damages their useful properties4, 5. Self-assembled nanowire-based phase-change material memory devices offer an attractive solution owing to their sub-lithographic sizes and unique geometry, coupled with the facile etch-free processes with which they can be fabricated. Here, we explore the effects of nanoscaling on the memory-storage capability of self-assembled Ge2Sb2Te5 nanowires, an important phase-change material. Our measurements of write-current amplitude, switching speed, endurance and data retention time in these devices show that such nanowires are promising building blocks for non-volatile scalable memory and may represent the ultimate size limit in exploring current-induced phase transition in nanoscale systems.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- These authors contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence to: Ritesh Agarwal1 e-mail: riteshag@seas.upenn.edu
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