Advantages of Mo4.9(Sb2Te)95.1 film with improved crystallization properties for phase change memory

The Mo-doped Sb2Te films were investigated for phase change memory applications. Compared with the pure Sb2Te, Mo4.9(Sb2Te)95.1 film exhibits a higher crystallization temperature Tc (211 °C), larger crystallization activation energy Ea (4.36 eV), better data retention of 10 years at 138 °C due to the bond recombination among Mo, Sb and Te atoms. The formed Mo-Sb and Mo-Te phases with high thermal stability present in the form of amorphous content around the crystals, which suppress the crystal grain growth while keeping the precipitated hexagonal Sb2Te crystalline phase stable without phase separation, which ensures better stability for the application in practical device.