Tunability of Sb₂Se₃ phase change material for multi-domain optoelectronics

Phase change materials play an essential role in the development of tuneable optics by overcoming the limitations possessed by conventional optics due to their static behaviour. Due to their non-volatile nature, chalcogenide materials attained attention beyond other phase change materials. Antimony-based chalcogenides are promising due to low absorption loss, optimal refractive index change, and compatibility with silicon integration. This study optimises near-stoichiometric sputtered Sb₂Se₃ thin films and investigates their compositional, physical, and optical properties change by thermal, optical, and electrical stimuli. We further extend the investigation to the induced intermediate states in the Sb₂Se₃ thin film for multi-bit operation for tunable photonics and phase-change memory with a current switching ratio of 10⁴ during a phase transition. The findings are integral to the realisation of high-capacity optical switches and routers, displays with larger colour distribution, and photonic memories with high computational capabilities.