Abstract
In this work, we evaluated the structural, electrical and optical properties of $Ge_8Sb_2Te_{11}$ and Cu-doped $Ge_8Sb_2Te_{11}$ thin films prepared by rf-magnetron reactive sputtering. The 200-nm-thick deposited films were annealed in a range of $100{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ using a furnace in an $N_2$ atmosphere. The amorphous-to-crystalline phase changes of the thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis-IR spectrophotometry, a 4-point probe, and a source meter. A one-step phase transformation from amorphous to face-centered-cubic (fcc) and an increase of the crystallization temperature ($T_c$) was observed in the Cu-doped film, which indicates an enhanced thermal stability in the amorphous state. The difference in the optical energy band gap ($E_{op}$) between the amorphous and crystalline phases was relatively large, approximately 0.38~0.41 eV, which is beneficial for reducing the noise in the memory devices. The sheet resistance($R_s$) of the amorphous phase in the Cu-doped film was about 1.5 orders larger than that in undoped film. A large $R_s$ in the amorphous phase will reduce the programming current in the memory device. An increase of threshold voltage ($V_{th}$) was seen in the Cu-doped film, which implied a high thermal efficiency. This suggests that the Cu-doped $Ge_8Sb_2Te_{11}$ thin film is a good candidate for PRAM.