Characterization of chalcogenide phase change nanostructures

This manuscript reports about the characterization of chalcogenide thin films and nanowires for non volatile memory application. In particular, the physical properties of several Te based alloys were analyzed in thin film by Hall effect and resistivity from room temperature to 4 K, and an interpretation on the scatterin mechanisms thereof is given. In addition, the functionality of 1-dimensional nanostructures of single crystal chalcogenide grown by metalorganic vapour deposition was demonstrated. The performance of such nanowires as non volatile memory devices is compared to those reported in literature. Finally, the experimental tools and the nanofabrication process for the electrical characterization of nanowires is shown in details.