Spin Glass Behavior in Amorphous CrSiTe₃ Alloy

Owing to the intrinsically high crystallization temperatures, layered phase-change materials, such as CrGeTe₃ and InGeTe₃, are attracting attention for embedded memory applications. In addition to the electrical contrast, a major change in magnetic properties is observed in CrGeTe₃ upon switching from the crystalline to the amorphous state. Herein, a combined ab initio modeling and magnetic characterization study on the isostructural silicon parent compound of CrGeTe₃, namely, CrSiTe₃, are reported. Amorphous CrSiTe₃ has similar structural properties to amorphous CrGeTe₃; however, it shows a smaller energy difference between the ferromagnetic configuration and the random magnetic configuration, indicating a high probability of spin glass formation. Indeed, direct-current and alternating-current magnetic measurements show that the coercive force of amorphous CrSiTe₃ is higher than that of amorphous CrGeTe₃. Therefore, the pinning effect of spins is enhanced in amorphous CrSiTe₃, leading to a more robust spin glass state with a higher freezing temperature. The large magnetic contrast between the amorphous and crystalline phase could make CrSiTe₃ a potential candidate for phase-change magnetic switching applications.