Abstract
n the temperature range from room temperature to about 150 °C, the prototypic phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 becomes amorphous upon hydrostatic compression. In the studied temperature range, the onset of amorphization is at about 15 GPa and the material completely amorphizes at 25 GPa; these values do not depend on temperature. Upon decompression, the amorphous phase is stable at lower temperatures, yet at higher temperatures (145 °C), the initial fcc phase is recovered upon decompression. A possible mechanism of pressure-induced amorphization and its implications for phase-change memories are discussed.