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个高吞吐量，大面积，化学气相沉积（CVD）工具，用于生产设备级硫属化物薄膜的硫属化物随机存取存储器（C-RAM）非易失性存储器。当前的非易失性存储器技术（闪存）正在迅速接近其密度极限，并且C-RAM由于其小的单元尺寸、快的写入/擦除速度、低的写入/擦除电压、高耐久性和抗辐射性而成为下一代非易失性存储器技术的顶级竞争者之一。然而，目前的C-RAM技术依赖于溅射来存款有源硫属化物层。这种溅射工艺限制了器件的进一步改进，因为难以满足器件保形性、膜粘附性和成分控制以及晶片产率的要求。CVD是用于批量生产高质量薄膜的工业标准沉积技术，但目前没有用于硫属化物沉积的工具可用。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，并将在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、长寿命存储器技术的可用性将为许多商业和军事应用提供更小、更快、更可靠的计算。

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.