Impact of multiple interfaces on the thermal annealing of Sb70Se30/Ti thin films

In this work, Sb70Se30/Ti multilayer films were prepared by magnetron alternating sputtering and the effects of Ti layers on the properties of Sb70Se30 films were investigated. With the insertion of Ti layer, there is a significant increment in the crystallization temperature and electrical resistance, indicating the great improvement in amorphous thermal stability and programming power consumption. Also, the resistance drift index reduces with the inserted Ti layer, which is helpful for the information differentiation. X-ray diffraction results prove that the introduction of Ti layers can inhibit the grain growth and refine the grain size. The differences and shifts of Raman peaks were observed, confirming a decrease in bond length and an increase in bond energy. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray reflectivity analyses show that the multilayer Sb70Se30/Ti thin films exhibit flatter surfaces and fewer volume changes than the single Sb70Se30 layer, implying better interfacial properties and reliability. The above investigations demonstrate the incorporation of the Ti layer can improve the physical properties of Sb70Se30 films remarkably, providing a good choice for the selection of high thermal stability and low resistance drift phase change materials.