Compositional optimization of binary Selenium-Antimony films for low-power electrical and optical storage

Composition dependence of structural, electrical and optical properties of binary Selenium-Antimony films was investigated for electrical and optical nonvolatile memories with low power and high speed. For preferred Sb51Se49 and Sb47Se53 films, the temperature for 10-year data retention can be up to 125.9 and 141.8 °C. Both amorphous and crystalline resistivities increase with Se content. The resistance ratio between two states maintain almost 3 orders of magnitude. Hall mobility and carrier concentration increases with the decrease in Se content. The microstructure of annealed Sb-Se films exhibits uniform distribution of crystallized phases with orthorhombic Sb2Se3 and hexagonal Sb. The high ON/OFF ratios of both refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k) between the amorphous and crystalline states alloys Sb-Se film to be favorable for the optical storage in spectral region 1.7-25 μm.