Microstructure characterization, phase transition, and device application of phase-change memory materials

Kai Jiang; Shubing Li; Fangfang Chen; Liping Zhu; Wenwu Li

doi:10.1080/14686996.2023.2252725

Microstructure characterization, phase transition, and device application of phase-change memory materials

Sci Technol Adv Mater. 2023 Aug 30;24(1):2252725. doi: 10.1080/14686996.2023.2252725. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Kai Jiang^{1

2}, Shubing Li², Fangfang Chen¹, Liping Zhu³, Wenwu Li^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ School of Arts and Sciences, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Base of Intelligent Optoelectronics and Perception, Institute of Optoelectronics, Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Phase-change memory (PCM), recently developed as the storage-class memory in a computer system, is a new non-volatile memory technology. In addition, the applications of PCM in a non-von Neumann computing, such as neuromorphic computing and in-memory computing, are being investigated. Although PCM-based devices have been extensively studied, several concerns regarding the electrical, thermal, and structural dynamics of phase-change devices remain. In this article, aiming at PCM devices, a comprehensive review of PCM materials is provided, including the primary PCM device mechanics that underpin read and write operations, physics-based modeling initiatives and experimental characterization of the many features examined in nanoscale PCM devices. Finally, this review will propose a prognosis on a few unsolved challenges and highlight research areas of further investigation.

Keywords: Phase-change memory; flexible devices; in-situ characterization; structural regulation.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Nos. 62090015, 62374043].