Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition of chalcogenide materials for phase change memory applications

The successful growth of chalcogenide films with required functional properties for PCM (phase change memory) by the combination of hot-wire MOCVD and pulsed liquid injection, was reported. Ge(NMe2)4, Sb(NMe2)3, and Te(i-Pr)2 precursors were used for GST depositions. additional optimization of deposition conditions was made in order to decrease the crystallites size and surface roughness of GST films. Smaller crystallites and smoother films were obtained at higher distance between the hot wire and substrate and by adjusting the structure of precursor injection cycle, the pressure, and gas flow rate. The CVD GST emerged as an appealing technology that can enable he development of high aspect-ratio PCM cells with improved programming characteristics. © 2008 American Chemical Society