Ultrathin phase-change coatings on metals for electrothermally tunable colors

Date
2016-08
Authors
Bakan, G.
Ayas S.
Saidzoda, T.
Celebi, K.
Dana, A.
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Source Title
Applied Physics Letters
Print ISSN
0003-6951
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Publisher
American Institute of Physics Inc.
Volume
109
Issue
7
Pages
071109-1 - 071109-5
Language
English
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Abstract

Metal surfaces coated with ultrathin lossy dielectrics enable color generation through strong interferences in the visible spectrum. Using a phase-change thin film as the coating layer offers tuning the generated color by crystallization or re-amorphization. Here, we study the optical response of surfaces consisting of thin (5-40 nm) phase-changing Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) films on metal, primarily Al, layers. A color scale ranging from yellow to red to blue that is obtained using different thicknesses of as-deposited amorphous GST layers turns dim gray upon annealing-induced crystallization of the GST. Moreover, when a relatively thick (>100 nm) and lossless dielectric film is introduced between the GST and Al layers, optical cavity modes are observed, offering a rich color gamut at the expense of the angle independent optical response. Finally, a color pixel structure is proposed for ultrahigh resolution (pixel size: 5 × 5 μm2), non-volatile displays, where the metal layer acting like a mirror is used as a heater element. The electrothermal simulations of such a pixel structure suggest that crystallization and re-amorphization of the GST layer using electrical pulses are possible for electrothermal color tuning.

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