Volume 19, Issue 7 2400416
Research Article

Modeling Filamentary Conduction in Reset Phase Change Memory Devices

Md Samzid Bin Hafiz

Md Samzid Bin Hafiz

Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-4157 USA

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Helena Silva

Helena Silva

Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-4157 USA

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Ali Gokirmak

Corresponding Author

Ali Gokirmak

Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-4157 USA

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First published: 02 March 2025

Abstract

A computational analysis is performed on percolation transport and filament formation in amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 (a-GST) using 2D finite element multiphysics simulations with 2 nm out-of-plane depth using an electric field and temperature-dependent electronic transport model with carrier activation energies that vary locally around 0.3 eV and as a function of temperature. The snapback (threshold switching) behavior in the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics at ≈50 MV m−1 electric field with 0.63 μA current for 300 K ambient temperature, where current collapses onto a single molten filament with ≈2 nm diameter, aligned with the electric field, and the device switches from a high-resistance state (108 Ω) to a low-resistance state (103 Ω) is observed. Further increase in voltage across the device leads to widening of the molten filament. Snapback current and electric field are strong functions of ambient temperature, ranging from ≈0.53 μA at 200 K to ≈16.93 μA at 800 K and ≈85 MV m−1 at 150 K to 45 MV m−1 at 350 K, respectively. Snapback electric field decreases exponentially with increasing device length, converging to ≈38 MV m−1 for devices longer than 200 nm.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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