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Role of Enthalpy and Relative Electric Permittivity in Electric Field Induced Nucleation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2012

K. Kohary
Affiliation:
College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Harrison Building, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QF, United Kingdom
J. Vazquez-Diosdado
Affiliation:
College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Harrison Building, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QF, United Kingdom
P. Ashwin
Affiliation:
College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Harrison Building, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QF, United Kingdom
C. D. Wright
Affiliation:
College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Harrison Building, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QF, United Kingdom
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Abstract

Emerging phase-change electrical memory technologies rely on the fast amorphous to crystalline transition, which is usually characterized by an ‘S-shape’ current-voltage curve. We investigate the possibility that electric field induced nucleation may play a dominant role in defining this characteristic electrical switching behavior. We derive quantitative crystallization maps to study the kinetics of the amorphous to crystalline transition in the presence of electric field contribution to the free energy and we investigate how the prediction of the electric field induced nucleation model is affected by material properties such as enthalpy and relative electric permittivity.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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