Abstract
Stress generation and relaxation upon Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) (GST) crystallization were studied by X-ray diffraction technique, which allows the stress in either GST or Ti(3)W(7) (TiW) to be evaluated independently within TiW/GST/TiW multilayer film. The GST crystallization results in tensile stress in the GST film and additional compressive stress in the TiW film, due to volume shrinkage of the GST film. Moreover, the tensile stress in the GST film is significantly increased when it is sandwiched between TiW films. Interfacial effect is proposed to attribute the dependence of stress on the capping layer thickness. (c) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics