Nitrogen-doped Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te phase-change material for high-performance phase-change memory

The effects of nitrogen doping on the phase-change performance of Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te materials are systemically investigated, focusing on the chemical state and the role of nitrogen upon crystallization. The tendency of N atoms to bond with Si (SiNx) in the crystalline film is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The microstructures of the materials mixed with Sb2Te crystal grains and amorphous Si/SiNx regions are elucidated via in situ transmission electron microscopy, from which a percolation behavior is demonstrated to possibly describe the random crystallization feature in the nucleation-dominated nanocomposite material. The phase-change memory cells based on N-doped Sb-rich Si–Sb–Te materials display more stable and reliable electrical performance than the nitrogen-free ones. An endurance characteristic in the magnitude of 107 cycles of the phase-change memory cells is realized with moderate nitrogen addition, meaning that the nitrogen incorporation into Si–Sb–Te material is a suitable method to achieve high-performance phase-change memory for commercial applications.