Chemical states of GeTe thin-film during structural phase-change by annealing in ultra-high vacuum

The chemical states of GeTe thin film are investigated using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) with synchrotron radiation, during amorphous to crystalline structural phase transition. As the temperature increases from 250 to 400 °C, we observe the rock-salt crystalline structure and phase with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Spin-orbit splitting of the Ge 3d core-level spectrum clearly appears after annealing at 400 °C for 5 min. However, the binding energy of the Ge 3d_5/2 core-level peak of 29.8 eV does not change in the amorphous to crystalline structural phase transition. In the case of the Te 4d core-level, change in binding energy and peak shapes is also negligible. We assume that the Te atom is fixed at a site between the amorphous and crystalline phases. Although the structural environment of the Ge atoms changes during the structural phase transition, the chemical environment does not.