In this work, we evaluated the structural, electrical and optical properties of Ge8Sb2Te11 and Cu-doped Ge8Sb2Te11 thin films prepared by rf-magnetron reactive sputtering. The 200-nm-thick deposited films were annealed in a range of 100~400℃ using a furnace in an N2 atmosphere. The amorphous-to-crystalline phase changes of the thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis-IR spectrophotometry, a 4-point probe, and a source meter. A one-step phase transformation from amorphous to face-centered-cubic (fcc) and an increase of the crystallization temperature (Tc) was observed in the Cu-doped film, which indicates an enhanced thermal stability in the amorphous state. The difference in the optical energy band gap (Eop) between the amorphous and crystalline phases was relatively large, approximately 0.38~0.41 eV, which is beneficial for reducing the noise in the memory devices. The sheet resistance(Rs) of the amorphous phase in the Cu-doped film was about 1.5 orders larger than that in undoped film. A large Rs in the amorphous phase will reduce the programming current in the memory device. An increase of threshold voltage (Vth) was seen in the Cu-doped film, which implied a high thermal efficiency. This suggests that the Cu-doped Ge8Sb2Te11 thin film is a good candidate for PRAM.
