Direct observation of nanometer-scale Joule and Peltier effects in phase change memory devices

Kyle L. Grosse; Feng Xiong; Sungduk Hong; William P. King; Eric Pop

doi:10.1063/1.4803172

Direct observation of nanometer-scale Joule and Peltier effects in phase change memory devices

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2013-05-23 v1 Materials Science

Authors: Kyle L. Grosse , Feng Xiong , Sungduk Hong , William P. King , Eric Pop

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Abstract

We measure power dissipation in phase change memory (PCM) devices by scanning Joule ex-pansion microscopy (SJEM) with ~50 nm spatial and 0.2 K temperature resolution. The temperature rise in the Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) is dominated by Joule heating, but at the GST-TiW contacts it is a combination of Peltier and current crowding effects. Comparison of SJEM and electrical characterization with simulations of the PCM devices uncovers a thermopower ~350 uV/K for 25 nm thick films of face centered-cubic crystallized GST, and contact resistance ~2.0 x 10^-8 Ohm-m2. Knowledge of such nanoscale Joule, Peltier, and current crowding effects is essential for energy-efficient design of future PCM technology.

Keywords

phase change memory Joule heating Peltier effect scanning Joule expansion microscopy current crowding Ge2Sb2Te5 thermopower contact resistance

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@article{arxiv.1305.4946,
  title  = {Direct observation of nanometer-scale Joule and Peltier effects in phase change memory devices},
  author = {Kyle L. Grosse and Feng Xiong and Sungduk Hong and William P. King and Eric Pop},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1305.4946},
  year   = {2013}
}

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Direct observation of nanometer-scale Joule and Peltier effects in phase change memory devices

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