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The change in the local order of amorphous sputter deposited GeTe thin films irradiated with Ge + ion and its influence on the subsequent thermal induced crystallization has been investigated by means of micro-Raman spectroscopy and in situ time-resolved reflectivity. A reduction in the Ge-rich tetrahedral species and an enhancement of the crystallization kinetics occurred in the irradiated amorphous samples. The rearrangement of the amorphous network is suggested to be related to thermal spikes effects rather than to the defects produced by the ions in the collision cascade.

The thermal properties of the phase-change chalcogenide alloy Ge2Sb2Te5 in its three phases (amorphous, cubic, and hexagonal) and of Si3N4 and SiO2 have been studied to obtain reliable values for device modeling. Thermal conductivity was determined, along with a quantitative estimation of the thermal resistances of the layers’ interfaces, not negligible for highly scaled devices. Electrical resistivity of the chalcogenide material has also been investigated during the phase transition by in situ measurement at constant heating rate.

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