Reactive Ion Etching as Cleaning Method Post Chemical Mechanical Polishing for Phase Change Memory Device

In order to improve nano-scale phase change memory performance, a super-clean interface should be obtained after chemical mechanical polishing （CMP） of Ge2Sb2Te5 phase change films. We use reactive ion etching （RIE） as the cleaning method. The cleaning effect is analysed by scanning electron microscopy and an energy dispersive spectrometer. The results show that particle residue on the surface has been removed. Meanwhile, Ge2Sb2Te5 material stoichiometric content ratios are unchanged. After the top electrode is deposited, currentvoltage characteristics test demonstrates that the set threshold voltage is reduced from 13 V to 2.7V and the threshold current from 0.1 mA to 0.025 mA. Furthermore, we analyse the RIE cleaning principle and compare it with the ultrasonic method.     

Mechanism of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 removal during chemical mechanical planarization in acidic H2O2 slurry

In this paper, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 (a-GST) in acidic H2O2 slurry is investigated. It was found that the removal rate of a-GST is strongly dependent on H2O2 concentration and gradually increases with the increase in H2O2 concentration, but the static etch rate first increases and then slowly decreases with the increase in H2O2 concentration. To understand the chemical reaction behavior of H2O2 on the a-GST surface, the potentiodynamic polarization curve, surface morphology and cross-section of a-GST immersed in acidic slurry are measured and the results reveal that a-GST exhibits a from active to passive behavior for from low to high concentration of H2O2 . Finally, a possible removal mechanism of a-GST in different concentrations of H2O2 in the acidic slurry is described.