Determination of specific contact resistance of Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ phase change materials by spacer etched nanowires

Huang, R., Chen, R., Gholipour, B., Kiang, K.S., Sun, K., Wang, Y. and de Groot, C.H. (2013) Determination of specific contact resistance of Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ phase change materials by spacer etched nanowires. 13th Non-Volatile Memory Technology Symposium, , Minneapolis, United States. 12 - 14 Aug 2013.

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCM) based memory device is considered as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation non-volatile solid-state memory [1]. The set and reset states in this device correspond to a low resistance and a high resistance of the cell, which in-turn correspond to the crystalline and amorphous states of the phase change material, respectively. The total resistance of a phase change memory cell, however, consists of the resistance from the PCM and the interfacial contact resistance of the PCM to the electrodes. Although a large amount research has been done on characterization of PCM resistance, little attention is paid to study the contact resistance. Here in this work, the contact resistance of Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ to titanium nitride (TiN) electrode has been characterized in both set and reset states using a nanowire structure obtained from spacer etch. This spacer etch is a novel technique and can be used as a low-cost alternative to E-beam lithography for sub-hundred nanometre nanowire fabrication. Unlike bottom-up technology, it is compatible with current CMOS process and the geometry and location of the nanowires can be precisely controlled. In this case it allows us make long structures with small contact area to separate the resistive contribution of bulk and interface

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Contributors

Author: K.S. Kiang

Author: C.H. de Groot

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