Study and Application of Second-Order Effects of Processing in Ge-Se Thin Films for Non-Conventional CBRAM Array Fabrication

This work presents the study of Ge-Se chalcogenide glasses that are used for production of arrays of Redox-Conductive-Bridge-Memory (RCBM) devices, a type of emerging non-volatile memory with potential to replace CMOS-based flash memory. Analysis of the material properties, and changes that occur as a result of processing or radiation, can help to understand the root of device performance by recognizing changes found within the material and comparing them to changes in performance, subsequently linking material parameters to performance parameters. Arrays of memristive devices were created by applying non-conventional technological solutions, using ions and photons to etch and pattern the chalcogenide material, followed by methods to add metal layers for the device electrodes. Various methods of analysis including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectrometry, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) have been used to study the topography, composition, bonding configurations, diffusion kinetics, and molecular evolution of thin films related to the active sections of CBRAM devices. Quantitative analysis of material parameters and changes are reported, along with device performance of arrays of CBRAMs.