THz optical characterization of novel chalcogenide phase change materials

THz transmission characteristics of Ge
3
Sb
2
Te
6
and Sb
2
Se
3
thin films of phase change materials (PCMs) annealed at several temperatures have been investigated for the first time. The results are compared to the optical properties of the well-known Ge
2
Sb
2
Te
5
PCM. The measured transmission spectra confirm interesting features such as the presence of non-volatile intermediate states in Ge
3
Sb
2
Te
6
or the absence of losses for all Sb
2
Se
3
states, which are particularly interesting for reconfigurable THz photonics applications such as dynamic THz absorption and beam steering.