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Type: 
Journal
Description: 
We demonstrate that the microstructure and electrical properties of Ge2Sb2Te5 films can be changed by a nanoscale mechanical process. Nanoscratching is used to define modified areas onto an as-deposited crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 film. Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements show that the modified areas have a very low electrical conductivity. Micro-Raman measurements indicate that the mechanically induced microstructural changes are consistent with a phase transformation from crystalline to amorphous, which can be reversed by laser irradiation.
Publisher: 
American Institute of Physics
Publication date: 
1 Jan 2012
Authors: 

R Cecchini, José J Benítez, Juan Carlos Sánchez-López, A Fernández

Biblio References: 
Volume: 111 Issue: 1 Pages: 016101
Origin: 
Journal of Applied Physics