As the operating conditions are getting harsher, the failure analysis of Phase Change Memory (PCM) are getting more and more important. In this work, some nonvolatile Phase Change Memory (PCM) devices based on Ge ₂ Sb ₂ Te ₅ are found RESET stuck failure during the pulsed mode switching. The causes, which result in the early failure of the PCM, have been studied by combining transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the two-dimensional finite analysis and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Compared with the typical devices, the incomplete crystallization in the inactive region of the abnormal devices are found based on the TEM images and corresponding fast Fourier transform (FFT) patterns, which is taken as the one of the major reasons for the SET failure confirmed by the simulation data. On the other hand, the element analysis was also carried out. Based on the EDS results, segregation of Te is considered to be another cause of the failure. To optimize performances of the RESET stuck devices, a DC initialization method is used. The resistance distributions of PCM cells before and after the DC initialization are presented, which shows a significant improvement in cells SET performance.

中文翻译：

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基于Ge ₂ Sb ₂ Te ₅的相变存储器故障分析及性能提升

随着运行条件越来越苛刻，相变存储器（PCM）的故障分析变得越来越重要。在这项工作中，一些基于 Ge ₂ Sb ₂ Te _{5 的}非易失性相变存储器 (PCM) 器件 在脉冲模式切换过程中发现 RESET 卡住失败。结合透射电子显微镜 (TEM)、二维有限分析和能量色散 X 射线光谱 (EDS) 研究了导致 PCM 早期失效的原因。与典型器件相比，根据TEM图像和相应的快速傅立叶变换（FFT）模式发现异常器件的非活性区域存在不完全结晶，这是SET故障的主要原因之一。模拟数据。另一方面，还进行了元素分析。根据 EDS 结果，Te 的偏析被认为是失败的另一个原因。为了优化 RESET 卡住设备的性能，使用 DC 初始化方法。