Ultrafast sub-threshold photo-induced response in crystalline and amorphous GeSbTe thin films

Pump-probe optical reflectivity and terahertz transmission measurements have been used to investigate time resolved sub-threshold photo-induced effects in crystalline and amorphous GeSbTe films at MHz repetition rates. The reflectivity in both phases exhibits long-lived modulations consistent with the sign of the changes that occur upon switching but of smaller magnitude. These can be understood by the generation of acoustic strains with the crystalline phase response dominated by thermal effects and the amorphous phase response associated with electronically induced changes. Evidence for a photo-induced distortion is observed in the amorphous phase which develops homogeneously within the excited region on few-picosecond time scales. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.