Electrical and optical characterization of freestanding Ge1Sb2Te4 nano-membranes integrated in coplanar strip lines

We developed a transfer and integration technique for freestanding Ge
₁
Sb
₂
Te
₄
nano-membranes. A so-called laser micro annealing process for the precisely-local formation of low resistance Ge
₁
Sb
₂
Te
₄
/Ti/Au ohmic contacts was optimized. Ultrafast switching effects were studied on nano-membrane devices after their implementation into a group III-nitride based optoelectronic circuit. Highly resistive switching was observed without any noticeable structural deterioration. Charge transport measurements indicate that current densities exhibit values in the "READ resp. SET/RESET" regime from 10
^-6
down to 10
^-11
A/μm
³
after ~100 switching cycles. Our study on freestanding Ge
₁
Sb
₂
Te
₄
nano-membranes contributes to a better understanding of charge transport related physical phenomena in novel chalcogenide material systems with high potential for future low energy consumption data storage devices.