GeSb4Te7
GeSb4Te7 is a semiconducting phase-change material used in the development of advanced non-volatile memory devices.
About GeSb4Te7
GeSb4Te7 is a semiconducting chalcogenide compound that belongs to the critical class of phase-change memory materials. Its electronic properties and structural flexibility allow it to transition rapidly between amorphous and crystalline states, a fundamental requirement for high-speed data storage applications.
As a near-hull compound, it is considered thermodynamically stable and highly synthesizable. Its unique stoichiometry makes it a subject of significant interest for researchers aiming to optimize the switching performance and thermal endurance of future memory devices.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for GeSb4Te7, aggregated across 5 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of GeSb4Te7. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for GeSb4Te7, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 0.32 | 0.0006 | -0.121 | — |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | 0.23 | 0.0018 | -0.126 | — |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | 0.27 | 0.0038 | -3.961 | 6.15 |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | — | — | — | 6.22 |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | — | — | — | 6.27 |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | — | — | — | 6.53 |
| P-3m1 (No. 164) | trigonal | — | — | — | 6.13 |
Applications
Where GeSb4Te7 is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about GeSb4Te7, answered from cross-validated data.
What is GeSb4Te7?
GeSb4Te7 is a semiconducting phase-change material used in the development of advanced non-volatile memory devices.
What is GeSb4Te7 used for?
What is the band gap of GeSb4Te7?
Is GeSb4Te7 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is GeSb4Te7 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of GeSb4Te7?
How many polymorphs of GeSb4Te7 are known?
What elements does GeSb4Te7 contain?
Where does the data for GeSb4Te7 come from?
How It Compares
Within the phase-change memory materials class.
Within the diverse family of phase-change materials, GeSb4Te7 occupies a distinct compositional space compared to the widely utilized Ge2Sb2Te5. While it shares the fundamental chalcogenide framework common to GeTe and Sb2Te3, its specific ratio of germanium, antimony, and tellurium provides a unique balance of crystallization kinetics and stability that differentiates it from simpler binary systems like AgTe or In2Te3.
Related Compounds
Other Phase-Change Memory Materials in the database.
Data sources & attribution
- oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database (crystallography.net/cod/). Cite: Grazulis et al., J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 726 (2009). (CC0-1.0)
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