Visual effects of switching in 0.15 As-0.12 Ge-0.73 Te glass

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Abstract
Bulk samples of 0.15 As-0.12 Ge-0.73 Te glass were switched electrically with a voltage slightly above the threshold voltage. For a probe separation of 1.4 mm and the sample at room temperature, the threshold voltage is 150 V. The visual effects of switching were studied using 11 000-frames/sec cinematography. When 152 V was applied between two probes on the sample's surface, a filament appeared between the two probes 0.62 msec before the sample switched. The filament at the time of formation was narrow but later widened as current continued to flow through the filament after switching and occurred. The appearance of the filament before the sample switched and the subsequent widening of the filament both indicate that in this experiment switching was the result of a predominantly thermal mechanism.