Effects of nanoscale confinement on the properties of phase change materials (C04)

• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2011 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 167917811

In project C4 we will investigate how nanoscale confinement changes the behavior of phase change materials, especially their electrical and structural properties. Newly developed devices will allow analyz-ing one-dimensional confinement as narrow as a few nanometers, were even a monatomic material like antimony can be stabilized against immediate crystallization by strong spatial confinement. Such devices provide ideal means for the quantification of the temperature dependent crystallization kinetics, electrical resistivity and its temporal evolution as a function of confinement. The ultimate experimental investigations will be based on three-dimensionally highly confined volumes of phase change material are nanoparticles as they will be synthesized in project C1.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 917: Resistively Switching Chalcogenides for Future Electronics - Structure, Kinetics and Device Scalability: 'Nanoswitches'
• Major Instrumentation: Optical Parametric Amplifer
• Instrumentation Group: 5700 Festkörper-Laser
• Applicant Institution: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Martin Salinga