Electronic switching effect in phase-change memory cells

A detailed investigation of the characteristic current-voltage (I-V) curve and electronic switching effect in chalcogenide-based phase-change memory devices is presented. An original bandgap model of both crystalline and amorphous chalcogenide and a physical picture of the fundamental effects involved in device operation is proposed. The model provides a quantitative description of the device behavior in both DC and transient regime. Finally, simulation results in good agreement with measurements and data reported in literature are presented.