Recent developments concerning the sputter growth of chalcogenide-based layered phase-change materials

This paper reviews recent developments in the sputter growth of chalcogenide thin films for phase-change memory applications. We focus primarily on the growth of highly oriented Sb₂Te₃, which is a layered material. Sb₂Te₃ is an end point compound of the GeTe–Sb₂Te₃ pseudobinary tie-line and an important component of heterogeneously structured phase-change materials. Some key growth parameters are introduced for the fabrication of highly oriented films. The optimization of the sputtering conditions enables the growth of highly oriented films on a variety of substrates even on flexible surfaces. Furthermore, the same techniques are found to be applicable for the deposition of similar materials including Ge-Sb-Te, Bi–Te, Bi₂Te₃–Sb₂Te₃, and Bi–Sb alloys. In order to meet the increasing demand for nonvolatile memory as well as other novel electronic devices, the fabrication of high-quality thin films by an industry friendly method is crucial.