6. Conductivity effects in amorphous chalcogenide films

Thin amorphous films of chalcogenide Te₄₈As₁₈Ge₆Si₂₈ were prepared and their current-voltage (I–V) characteristics were examined. Memory switching effects were observed which were stable and reproducible, but the switching voltage was found to depend on the restoring voltage in a regular way for cyclic switching. Furthermore, the time delay for an applied voltage pulse to cause switching may be related to the I–V curve prior the switching. This dependence seems to support an electronic mechanism of switching.