• Applied Microscopy
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.279-284
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• 2008

The phase change materials have been extensively used as an optical rewritable data storage media utilizing their phase change properties. Recently, the phase change materials have been spotlighted for the application of non-volatile memory device, such as the phase change random access memory. In this work, we have investigated the crystallization behavior and microstructure analysis of In-Sb-Te (IST) thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. Transmission electron microscopy measurement was carried out after the annealing at $300^{\circ}C$, $350^{\circ}C$, $400^{\circ}C$ and $450^{\circ}C$ for 5 min. It was observed that InSb phases change into $In_3SbTe_2$ phases and InTe phases as the temperature increases. It was found that the thickness of thin films was decreased and the grain size was increased by the bright field transmission electron microscopy (BF TEM) images and the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns. In a high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) study, it shows that $350^{\circ}C$-annealed InSb phases have {111} facet because the surface energy of a {111} close-packed plane is the lowest in FCC crystals. When the film was heated up to $400^{\circ}C$, $In_3SbTe_2$ grains have coherent micro-twins with {111} mirror plane, and they are healed annealing at $450^{\circ}C$. From the HRTEM, InTe phase separation was occurred in this stage. It can be found that $In_3SbTe_2$ forms in the crystallization process as composition of the film near stoichiometric composition, while InTe phase separation may take place as the composition deviates from $In_3SbTe_2$.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.39 no.12
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• pp.1128-1132
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• 2002

$ReMnO_3$(Re:Y, Ho, Er) thin films were prepared by MOCVD method available to non-volatile memory device with MFS-FET structure. $ReMnO_3$ thin films were deposited on the Si(100) substrate at 700${\circ}C$ for 2h. When the films were post-annealed at 900${\circ}C$ for 1h in air, the single phase of hexagonal $ReMnO_3$ thin films were detected. Ferroelectric properties of $ReMnO_3$ thin films were dependent on the degree of c-axis orientation in the single phase of hexagonal structure and remnant polarization (Pr) of $YMnO_3$ thin films with high degree of c-axis orientation was 105 nC/$cm^2$. Leakage current density was dependent on the grain size of microstructure and that of $YMnO_3$ thin films with grain size of 100∼150 nm was $10^{-8}$ A/$cm^2$ at applied voltage of 0.5 V.