Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Electronic structure calculations are presented for various model structures of the crystalline and amorphous phases of Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST). The structures are all found to possess a band gap of order 0.5 eV, indicating closed shell behaviour. It is pointed out that structural vacancies in A7-like GST are not electronically active. In addition, A7-like structures do not support valence alternation pair (VAP) defects, which are one model of the conduction processes in the glassy phase in non-volatile memories.