Al-Sb-Ge phase change material: A candidate for multilevel data storage with high-data retention and fast speed

The phase change memory with Al-Sb-Ge alloy is investigated for the feasibility of embedded system and the potential possibility of multilevel data storage. The Al15Sb53Ge32 compound has a high crystallization temperature (333 °C) and outstanding data retention ability (260 °C). Ge atoms inhibit crystal growth to enhance thermal stability and Al15Sb53Ge32 contains sequential crystallization of Sb-rich and Ge regions in two-step crystallization process. Remarkably, the device presents a fast speed of 50 ns and endurance up to 2.3 × 104 cycles. At the same time, a reliable tripe-level resistance state of the phase change memory cell is observed.