Electrical engineering

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Crystallization

Chalcogenide

Engineering physics

Optical switch

Durability

Chalcogenide glass

Engineering

Phase change

Electronics

Composite material

Chemistry

Materials science

Photonics

Phase (matter)

Amorphous solid

Chemical engineering

Optoelectronics

Optical Materials Express

Chalcogenide phase change materials (PCMs) are truly remarkable compounds whose unique switchable optical and electronic properties have fueled an explosion of emerging applications in electronics and photonics. Key to any application is the ability of PCMs to reliably switch between crystalline and amorphous states over a large number of cycles. While this issue has been extensively studied in the case of electronic memories, current PCM-based photonic devices show limited endurance. This review discusses the various parameters that impact crystallization and re-amorphization of several PCMs, their failure mechanisms, and formulate design rules for enhancing cycling durability of these compounds.

Endurance of chalcogenide optical phase change materials: a review