In this paper, the volume-minimized model of phase change memory (PCM) cell with Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) (GST) material has been established to study the dynamic switching (set-to-reset) characteristic dependence on the sidewall angle. Joule heating volume, threshold current, dynamic resistance and phase transition rate of PCM cells by current pulse are all calculated. The results show that the threshold current increases with decreasing the sidewall angle and is significantly impacted by the feature size and aspect ratio. The PCM cell of 90 degrees sidewall angle exhibits the smallest Joule heating volume, the highest RESET resistance and the fastest phase transition property. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.