Molecular Precursors for the Phase‐Change Material Germanium‐Antimony‐Telluride, Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST)

Abstract

This review provides an overview of the precursor chemistry that has been developed around the phase‐change material germanium‐antimony‐telluride, Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST). Thin films of GST can be deposited by employing either chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. In both cases, the success of the layer deposition crucially depends on the proper choice of suitable molecular precursors. Previously reported processes mainly relied on simple alkoxides, alkyls, amides and halides of germanium, antimony, and tellurium. More sophisticated precursor design provided a number of promising new aziridinides and guanidinates.

Insights from 125Te and 57Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy: a [4Fe–4Te] cluster from two points of view

“…Tellurium is a component of many materials of current scientific and technological interest, including thermoelectrics such as PbTe-based materials,1,2 phase change materials for data storage such as Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 ,3 and superconductors such as Fe 1+ y Te 1– x Se x and CdTe solar cells 4,5. Although Te is not an essential trace element in biological systems, certain Te compounds can be bioaccumulated and/or metabolized and some of them have shown or have been proposed to have valuable antibiotic or anticancer applications 6.…”