Transmission Electron Microscopy Study on the Crystallization of Sb-Se-Te Ternary Alloys

The microstructure of Sb-Se-Te ternary alloy thin films annealed at 220, 230, and 300 degrees C by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) was investigated using high-resolution transmission election microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Compared to the T-m of Ge2Sb2Te5 (similar to 616 degrees C), the lower T-m of the Sb-Se-Te (417 degrees C) thin film can contribute toward reducing power consumption for the reset process of phase change materials. The horizontal long grains-grown along the interface in a fully crystallized Sb-Se-Te thin film sample and annealed at 300 degrees C for 10 min-were hexagonal structured Sb2SeTe2 with 15 layers; the c-axis was perpendicular to the substrate. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics