A New Multi-Parameter Measurement System for Analyzing Phase Change Dynamics in Phase Change Thin Film Materials

Chalcogenide phase change materials (PCMs) are emerging as prime candidates for phase change random access memory, due to their pronounced differences in reflectivity and resistivity between amorphous and crystalline states, as well as their capacity for rapid state switching. In the design of PCMs, especially superlattice-like PCMs, their complex change laws need to be characterized and understood from different properties. This paper presents a new measurement system that combines the in-situ resistance measurement and wafer curvature method to achieve synchronized common measurements of resistance, reflectivity, and stress. Additionally, an advanced source measure unit module and a self-developed multi-channel expansion module are designed to realize simultaneous precise multi-channel resistance measurements for fast batch testing. Validation experiments with Ge<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>Sb<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>Te<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">5</inf>, different batches of Sn<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">15</inf>Sb<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">85</inf>, and Ge<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>Sb<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>Te<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">5/</inf>Sb<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">7</inf>Se<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</inf> demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed system in capturing the complex behavior of complex phase transition systems during crystallization.