Fast crystal nucleation induced by surface oxidation in Si-doped GeTe amorphous thin film

Fast crystallization in the phase change materials (PCMs) used for optical and electrical phase change memory improves their data recording rate. In the present work, it was found that the preferential surface oxidation of Si shortens the nucleation time of Ge _46.55Te _46.55Si _6.9 amorphous films. The nucleation time of a surface-oxidized film was approximately 20 faster than that of a non-oxidized film. This was due to the formation of inhomogeneous nucleation sites at the film surface. These results suggest that preferential surface oxidation of PCM is an effective method to enhance the data recording rate of phase change memory devices.