Chalcogenides, 2012
Metastability and Phase Change Phenomena
Springer Series in Materials Science Series, Vol. 164

A state-of-the-art description of metastability observed in chalcogenide alloys is presented with the accent on the underlying physics. A comparison is made between sulphur(selenium)-based chalcogenide glasses, where numerous photo-induced phenomena take place entirely within the amorphous phase, and tellurides where a reversible crystal-to-amorphous phase-change transformation is a major effect. Applications of metastability in devices¿optical memories and nonvolatile electronic phase-change random-access memories among others are discussed, including the latest trends. Background material essential for understanding current research in the field is also provided.

Essentials of amorphous semiconductors.- Photo-induced phenomena in S- and Se-based chalcogenides.-Metastability in Te-based chalcogenides.- Phase change in Te-based alloys for memory applications.- Phase-change optical data storage.- Super-resolution near-field sructure (Super-RENS) optical discs.- Ovonic unified memories.- What comes next.

Dr A.V. Kolobov obtained his PhD and D.Sc degrees in 1984 and 1992 respectively from Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute (St. Petersburg, Russia) were he started his sceintific activities in the laboratory headed by Prof. B.T. Kolomiets, father of amorphous semiconductors. At various periods of time he was visiting researcher at Cambridge University (UK) on several fellowships including Kapitza Fellowship Award of the Royal Society, Ecole superieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris (France), directeur de recherche at CNRS (France), Guest Professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium). From 1994 he is senior scientist at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Japan).

Dr. A.V. Kolobov published over 160 papers in refereed journals and presented over 30 invited talks at international conferences. He is editor of „Photo-induced metastability in amorphous semicondustors" (Wiley-VCH). In 2002 he received S.R. Ovshinsky Award for Excellence in amorphous chalcogenides.

Dr A.V. Kolobov is member of editorial boards of Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials, Chalcogenide Letters, Journal of Ovonic Research.

Professor Junji Tominaga received a Ph.D. in material science from Cranfield Institute of Technology (now, Cranfield University), United Kingdom in 1991. He was appointed as senior research staff at National Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research of Ministry of Industrial Trading and Economy (MITI) Japan in 1997, after having worked as a research scientist in TDK R&D Center. In 2001, he became director of Laboratory for Advanced Optical Technology of National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Since 2003, he has been director of Center for Applied Near-Field Optics Research (CANFOR) of AIST. He has also been appointed professor of Tokyo Denki University since 2002, and visiting professor of Cranfield Univiersity since 2001. Heis the in