SBIR Phase I: Chemical Vapor Deposition Tool for Chalcogenide Random Access Memory (C-RAM).

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将产生一种高产量、大面积的化学气相沉积(CVD)工具，用于生产用于硫化物随机存取存储器(C-RAM)非易失性存储器的设备级硫化物薄膜。目前的非易失性存储器技术(闪存)正迅速接近其密度极限，而C-RAM由于其存储单元尺寸小、写入/擦除速度快、写入/擦除电压低、耐久性高和抗辐射能力强等优点，成为下一代非易失性存储器技术的有力竞争者之一。然而，目前最先进的C-RAM技术依赖于溅射沉积活性硫化物层。这种溅射工艺限制了器件的进一步改进，因为在满足器件一致性、薄膜附着力、成分控制和晶片成品率方面存在困难。CVD是批量生产高质量薄膜的工业标准沉积技术，但目前还没有用于硫化物沉积的工具。C-RAM存储器有望成为商业和军事计算应用中非易失性存储器的下一代技术，并应在340亿美元(2007年)的非易失性存储器市场中占据相当大的份额。这种新的高密度、长寿命内存技术的问世将使更小、更快、更可靠的计算成为可能，适用于许多商业和军事应用。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will result in a high throughput, large area, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) tool for the production of device grade chalcogenide films for chalcogenide random access memory (C-RAM) non-volatile memory. Current non-volatile memory technology (flash memory) is rapidly approaching its density limit, and C-RAM is one of the top contenders as the next generation non-volatile memory technology, due to its small cell size, fast write/erase speed, low write/erase voltage, high endurance and radiation hardness. However, current state-of-the-art C-RAM technology relies on sputtering to deposit the active chalcogenide layer. This sputtering process limits further device improvement because of difficulties in meeting requirements for device conformality, film adherence and compositional control and wafer yield. CVD is the industry standard deposition technology for volume production of high quality thin films, but currently no tools for chalcogenide deposition are available. C-RAM memory promises to be the next generation technology for non-volatile memory in commercial and military computing applications, and should capture a substantial portion of the $34B (2007) non-volatile memory market. The availability of this new high density, long-lived memory technology will enable smaller, faster, more reliable computing for a host of commercial and military applications.