Influence of sputtering parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of GeSbTe films

GeSb2Te4 films were deposited on Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering, and the effects of sputtering power on the surface topography and anti-compression properties were studied with atomic force microscope(AFM) and nanoindenter. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties of GeSb2Te4 films with oxygen impurity were also investigated. The results indicate that proper sputtering power is important for obtaining GeSb2Te4 films with high compact structure and low surface roughness, which present good load-support capacity. Although the effect of oxygen impurity on the anti-compression properties of GeSb2Te4 films is not very significant as a whole, certain oxygen dosage can relax the internal stress, thereby the hardness of the films drops slightly.