Local structure of Sb-doped ferroelectric alpha-GeTe for frugal electronics

The objective of this proposal is to study the local structure of highly oriented Sb-doped ferroelectric alpha-GeTe thin films obtained by industrial magnetron co-sputtering. Germanium telluride combines p-type semiconductor behavior, ferroelectric properties and giant Rashba spin-splitting, making it one of the materials of choice for innovative spintronic devices such as FESO or SOT-MRAM devices. Improving the electronic transport properties of alpha-GeTe for the intended application is mandatory. This could be achieved by introduction of n-dopant in the GeTe crystalline lattice. Although n-doping compensation by means of Sb or Bi doping in polycrystalline GeTe ingots has been demonstrated, fundamental understanding of the doping mechanisms in self-oriented GeTe thin films is still lacking. Therefore, we propose here to study the local environment in highly oriented ferroelectric Sb-doped alpha-GeTe films by means of EXAFS performed at Ge and Sb K-edges.