| Feb 09, 2026 |
Researchers reveal how memory materials switch electricity on and off by melting and freezing tellurium in nano-devices, enabling faster, energy-efficient semiconductor design.
(Nanowerk News) As artificial intelligence advances, computers demand faster and more efficient memory. The key to ultra-high-speed, low-power semiconductors lies in the “switching” principle—the mechanism by which memory materials turn electricity on and off. A South Korean research team has successfully captured the elusive moment of switching and its internal operational principles by momentarily melting and freezing materials within a microscopic electronic device.
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This study (Nature Communications, “On-device cryogenic quenching enables robust amorphous tellurium for threshold switching”) provides a foundational blueprint for designing next-generation memory materials that are faster and consume less power based on fundamental principles.
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The research team led by Professor Joonki Suh from our department (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering), in collaboration with Professor Tae-Hoon Lee’s team from Kyungpook National University, announced the development of an experimental technique capable of real-time monitoring of electrical switching processes and phase changes within nano-devices—phenomena that were previously difficult to observe.
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| Illustration of the experiment involving instantaneous melting and freezing in a memory electronic device. (Image: KAIST)
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To verify the electrical switching, the team applied a method of instantaneous melting followed by rapid cooling (quenching). Through this, they succeeded in stably implementing amorphous tellurium (a-Te)—a state where tellurium is disordered like glass—within a nano-device much smaller than a human hair. Tellurium is typically sensitive to heat and changes properties easily when current is applied; however, in its amorphous state, it is garnering significant attention as a core material for next-generation memory due to its speed and energy efficiency.
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Through this study, the team specifically identified the threshold voltage and thermal conditions at which switching begins, as well as the segments where energy loss occurs. Based on these findings, they observed stable and high-speed switching even while reducing heat generation. This enables “principle-based” memory material design, allowing researchers to understand exactly why and when electricity starts to flow.
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The results confirmed that microscopic defects within amorphous tellurium play a crucial role in electrical conduction. When the voltage exceeds a certain threshold, the electricity does not flow all at once; instead, it follows a two-step switching process: first, a rapid increase in current along the defects, followed by heat accumulation that causes the material to melt.
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Furthermore, the team successfully implemented a “self-oscillation” phenomenon—where voltage spontaneously increases and decreases—by conducting experiments that maintained the amorphous state without excessive current flow. This demonstrates that stable electrical switching is possible using only the single element of tellurium, without the need for complex material combinations.
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This research is a significant achievement as it implements amorphous tellurium—a next-generation memory material—within an actual electronic device and systematically elucidates the fundamental principles of electrical switching. These findings are expected to serve as essential guidelines for designing semiconductor materials to realize faster and more energy-efficient memory in the future.
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“This is the first study to implement amorphous tellurium in a real-world device environment and clarify the switching mechanism,” said Professor Joonki Suh. “It sets a new standard for research into next-generation memory and switching materials.”
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