Conductance switching behavior of GeTe/Sb2Te3 superlattice upon hot-electron injection: a scanning probe microscopy study

Topological (GeTe)/(Sb2Te3) superlattices (SL) are of practical interest for memory applications because of different mechanism of electric conductance switching in the crystalline phase. In the work, electrical switching behavior of individual SL grains was examined employing a multimode scanning probe microscope (MSPM) in a lithography mode at room temperature. Using programmed bias voltage with different amplitude and pulse duration, we observed the position-dependent variations of the switching voltage and the current injection delay for [(GeTe)2 (Sb2Te3)]4 SLs on Si(100). The results shed a light on the role of electric field and hot-electron injection on the SL conductance switching.