Parameters of lateral and unsteady cord currents in a cylindrical chalcogenide glassy semiconductor

The heat-conduction equation describing the current cord in a semiconductor is approximately solved for a Ge–Sb–Te semiconductor system of cylindrical configuration. It is shown that the cord current at infinitely long times is proportional to the squared maximum temperature at the cord center and inversely proportional to the applied electric field. The scale of the lateral current perpendicular to the main cord current is estimated. It is found that the lateral current is low in comparison with the cord current; hence, the formation of lateral cords growing from the main cord is highly improbable.