The remarkable properties characteristic of phase change materials (PCMs) make them the most interesting candidates for emerging applications in memories, photonics, displays, ovonic threshold switch selectors, and non von Neumann computing. Nanoscale volumes of PCMs can be rapidly switched between structural phases with distinct optical and electrical properties, by employing sub-nanosecond laser or electrical pulses.Typical phase change materials are chalcogenide alloys but other, non-traditional compositions, such as GaSb, VO2 or 2-dimensional MoTe2 have been of renewed interest because they also exhibit reversible phase transitions, with high contrast in macroscopic properties. To succesfully employ these advanced functional materials in a broad range of applications, a number of challenges need to be overcome. These include device integration issues, novel device architectures, increase in the storage density, and reliability. Solutions require both technological advances, as well as a deeper understanding of the fundamental material physics. Moreover, while the crystalline and the amorphous phase are usually adopted as functional states, switching between two crystalline phases or between a metallic and insulating state has been also proposed as a key mechanism for new possible applications.

This symposium will cover advances in devices for optical and electronic applications, as well as in material science. It will bring together the technological and scientific communities, being of interest to electronics and process engineers, physicists, chemist and materials scientists working on emerging electronics, including novel nanoscale integration with 2D materials and also nanophotonics and plasmonics. The symposium is designed to be a synergistic event that allows exchange of novel ideas and knowledge-base to propel progress in this important scientific field.