Contact resistance measurement of Ge2Sb2Te5 phase change material to TiN electrode by spacer etched nanowire

Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) phase change nanowires have been fabricated using a top-down spacer etch process. This approach enables controls over the dimension and location of the nanowires without affecting the electrical properties. Phase change devices based on these nanowires have been used to systematically investigate the contact resistance between GST phase change material and TiN metal electrodes. The specific contact resistance was found to be 7.96 x 10(-5) Omega cm(2) for crystalline GST and 6.39 x 10(-2) Omega cm(2) for amorphous GST. The results suggest that contact resistance plays a dominant role in the total resistance of GST memory device in both crystalline and amorphous states.