Simultaneously good thermal stability and low power consumption for Sb/In48.9Sb15.5Te35.6 multilayer composite film

Abstract Thermal stability and power consumption were two important problems to be solved in the development of phase change memory. In this paper, Sb/In48.9Sb15.5Te35.6 multilayer phase change thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering, and their comprehensive properties were systematically studied. In-situ heating was employed to study the transition process of Sb/ In48.9Sb15.5Te35.6 multilayer films from amorphous to crystalline state. The ten-year data retention ability was evaluated by isothermal crystallization method. The change of band gap energy was measured by near infrared spectrophotometer. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to study the change of phase structure at different annealing temperatures. The surface morphology of thin films at different annealing temperatures was observed by atomic force microscope. The device based on [Sb(5 nm)/In48.9Sb15.5Te35.6(5 nm)]8 had a small threshold voltage. The results showed that Sb/In48.9Sb15.5Te35.6 multilayer composite film was a potential phase change material with good thermal stability and low power consumption.