Terahertz-infrared spectroscopy of Ge2Sb2Te5 films on sapphire: Evolution of broadband electrodynamic response upon phase transitions

Phase-change alloy Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) forms a favorable material platform for modern optics, photonics, and electronics thanks to a pronounced increase in conductivity with thermally induced phase transitions from amorphous (a-GST) into cubic (c-GST) and then hexagonal (h-GST) crystalline states at the temperatures of ≃150 and ≃300°C, respectively. Nevertheless, the data on broadband electrodynamic response of distinct GST phases are still missing, which hamper the design and implementation of related devices and technologies. In this paper, a-, c-, and h-GST films on a sapphire substrate are studied using broadband dielectric spectroscopy. For all GST phases, complex dielectric permittivity is retrieved using Drude and Lorentz models in the frequency range of 0.06–50 THz or the wavelength range of ≃5000–6 μm. A contribution from the free charge-carriers conductivity and vibrational modes to the broadband response of an analyte is quantified. In this way, the Drude model allows for estimation of the static (direct current—DC) and dynamic (at 1.0 THz) conductivity values, caused by motions of free charges only, which are as high as σDC≃15 and 40 S/cm and σ1.0THz≃8.8 and 28.6 S/cm for the c- and h-GSTs, respectively. This overall agrees with the results of electrical measurements of GST conductivity using the four-point probe technique. The broadband electrodynamic response models obtained for the three GST phases are important for further research and developments of GST-based devices and technologies.