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Calorimetric measurements of structural relaxation and glass transition temperatures in sputtered films of amorphous Te alloys used for phase change recording

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Abstract

Sputtered amorphous Ge4Sb1Te5, Ge1Sb2Te4, Ge2Sb2Te5, and Ag0.055In0.065Sb0.59Te0.29 thin films were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Upon continuous heating, heat release due to structural relaxation of the amorphous phase between 0.5 and 1.0 kJ/mol was observed. This value depends on the thermal history of the sample. Preannealing of the amorphous phase revealed the glass transition temperature Tg within 10 K of the crystallization temperature upon continuous heating at 40 K/min.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. I. Physikalisches Institut der Rheinisch-Westfälischen Technischen Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, 52056, Aachen, Germany

    J. A. Kalb

  2. Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    J. A. Kalb & F. Spaepen

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    J. A. Kalb

  4. I. Physikalisches Institut der Rheinisch-Westfa¨lischen Technischen Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, 52056, Aachen, Germany

    M. Wuttig

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  1. J. A. Kalb
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  2. M. Wuttig
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  3. F. Spaepen
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Correspondence to J. A. Kalb.

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This author was Chair of the JMR Advisory Review Board during the review and decision stage.

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Kalb, J.A., Wuttig, M. & Spaepen, F. Calorimetric measurements of structural relaxation and glass transition temperatures in sputtered films of amorphous Te alloys used for phase change recording. Journal of Materials Research 22, 748–754 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2007.0103

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2007.0103

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