Coherent optical phonons in different phases of Ge₂ Sb ₂ Te₅ upon strong laser excitation

The transient reflectivity response of phase-change Ge₂ Sb ₂ Te₅ films to intense femtosecond laser pulses is studied by ultrafast coherent phonon spectroscopy. The three different phases (amorphous, fcc-, and hcp-crystalline), as well as laser-crystallized films, are investigated, featuring different photoexcited carrier and coherent optical phonon dynamics. At least two main phonon frequencies are identified for each phase/material and their evolution for increasing pump fluences is investigated for the fcc-crystalline phase and the laser-crystallized material, revealing strong differences. We find evidence that a considerable fraction of amorphous phase remains in the laser-crystallized material, which features a different phonon frequency, not related to other phases. These results are important for emerging strategies aimed at driving ultrafast phase transitions via coherent phonon excitation for applications in data storage.