相变存储器由于具有非易失性、高速度、低功耗等优点被认为最有可能成为下一代存储器的主流产品,Ge2Sb2Te5(GST)作为一种传统相变材料已经被广泛应用在相变存储器中,而GST的化学机械抛光作为相变存储器生产的关键工艺目前已被采用.本工作综述了有关GST的化学机械抛光技术研究进展,讨论了GST化学机械抛光过程的影响因素,如下压力、转速、抛光垫、磨料、氧化剂、表面活性剂等,并对目前GST的化学机械抛光机理进行了归纳,进一步展望了GST的化学机械抛光技术的发展前景.
Phase change memory (PCM) is considered a major candidate for next-generation memory due to its nonvolatile, fast program access times, low consumable power. So far chalcogenide Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST), as a traditional phase material, has been widely adopted and investigated for PCM application. Recently, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of GST as a key technique for confined structure has been applied in the fabrication of PCM. In this paper, research and development of CMP for GST is reviewed firstly and the impact factors of down force, rotation velocity, polishing pads, and the slurry on the GST CMP are discussed. For the mechanical parameter, the removal rate (RR) of GST increases with the increasing of pres- sure and rotation velocity firstly, and then reaches saturation or slightly decreases. The gentle mechanical parameter is a bet- ter choice for GST CMP due to its lower hardness. With regard to polishing pads, GST polished using Politex reg can attain a better surface quality, and almost no residue and scratches can be found, compared with IC 1010. The oxidizer of slurry, such as H202, (NH4)2S208, KMnO4 and FeC13 have a great influence on the GST performance, the oxidization capacity of each element in GST alloy is different. Among these elements, Ge is preferentially oxidized, but Te is hard oxidized due to their different electronegativity. RR strongly depends on the pH of slurry, it reaches high RR in the strong acidic and alkaline con- dition. The stable species for GST in the slurries at pH 2 are GeO2, Sb203 and Te both for the situations with and without H202, while they are HGeO3, SbO3 and TeO~- for those at pH 11. Usually, the GST polished follows a corrosion polishing mechanism and cyclic reaction polishing mechanism in the different conditions. For corrosion polishing mecha- nism, it involves the direct touching between the GST film and the abrasives of slurry. For the cyclic reaction polishing mechanism, it involves passivation by an oxidized GST layer firstly, then mechan