Growth of Epitaxial (110) 0.7Pb(Mg<Subscript>1/3</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>2/3</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-0.3PbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Thin Films on r-Plane Sapphire Substrates by RF Magnetron Sputtering

The role of substrate temperature and substrate surface geometry in determining the crystal structure and crystallinity of 0.7Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.3PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) thin films grown on r-plane sapphire substrates is examined. A 30-nm-thick amorphous PMN-PT seed layer deposited at 250°C and subjected to rapid thermal annealing at 850°C results in the formation of an epitaxial (110) perovskite PMN-PT growth template that can be used for subsequent growth of single-crystal (110) perovskite PMN-PT films at elevated temperature. The data show that single-crystal perovskite is promoted when the films nucleate with the \( \langle \overline{1} 11 \rangle \) PMN-PT direction parallel to the \( \langle 0\bar{2}21 \rangle \) Al₂O₃ direction.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Pb(Zr<Subscript>0.53</Subscript>,Ti<Subscript>0.47</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Pb(Nb<Subscript>1/3</Subscript>,Zn<Subscript>2/3</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Thin Films on Cantilever Stacks

0.9Pb(Zr_0.53,Ti_0.47)O₃-0.1Pb(Zn_1/3,Nb_2/3)O₃ (PZT–PZN) thin films and integrated cantilevers have been fabricated. The PZT–PZN films were deposited on SiO₂/Si or SiO₂/Si₃N₄/SiO₂/poly-Si/Si membranes capped with a sol–gel-derived ZrO₂ buffer layer. It is found that the membrane layer stack, lead content, existence of a template layer of PbTiO₃ (PT), and ramp rate during film crystallization are critical for obtaining large-grained, single-phase PZT–PZN films on the ZrO₂ surface. By controlling these parameters, the electrical properties of the PZT–PZN films, their microstructure, and phase purity were significantly improved. PZT–PZN films with a dielectric constant of 700 to 920 were obtained, depending on the underlying stack structure.     

Super-Large Domain Metal-Induced Radially Crystallized Poly-Si Made Using Ni(NO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>/NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>OH Mixed Solution

By using an aqueous solution of Ni(NO₃)₂/NH₄OH for formation of Ni media on a-Si, disk-like super-large domain metal-induced radially crystallized (S-MIRC) poly-Si was prepared. The process requires no buffer layer deposition on a-Si. The prepared S-MIRC poly-Si has an average domain size of up to 60 μm, highest hole Hall mobility of 27.1 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, and highest electron Hall mobility of 45.6 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. Poly-Si TFT made on super-large-domain S-MIRC poly-Si had high mobility of ~105.8 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, steep sub-threshold slope of ~1.0 V decade⁻¹, high on/off state current ratio of >10⁷ and low threshold voltage of ~ −6.9 V. A simultaneous Ni-collected and induced crystallization model is proposed to explain the growth kinetics of S-MIRC poly-Si.     

Microstructure and Characteristics of Thin-Film La<Subscript>0.8</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/ZnO:Al Heterocontact CO Sensors Prepared by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Highly sensitive CO gas sensors based on heterocontacts of ZnO:Al on La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.5Ni_0.5O₃ (LSCNO) were fabricated successfully. La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.5Ni_0.5O₃ thin films were coated on (100) silicon wafers by a sol-gel method including the Pechini process followed by a spin-coating procedure. Then, ZnO:Al films prepared by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at various oxygen partial pressures and deposited on as-deposited La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.5Ni_0.5O₃ films were investigated. The results revealed that the CO sensing ability of the film prepared with the ratio of O₂/Ar = 5/5 (ratio of volume flow rate) was the worst, owing to the highest (002) plane orientation in the ZnO:Al film. In contrast, the ZnO:Al film prepared with O₂/Ar = 3/7 exhibited better CO sensitivity. Furthermore, all two-layer samples showed higher CO sensitivities than single-layer samples. The CO sensitivity of ZnO:Al/La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.5Ni_0.5O₃ thin film was 45% for 500 ppm CO at a sensing temperature of 200°C.     

How r-Plane Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Surface Modifications Impact the Growth of Epitaxial (001) CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Thin Films

We present evidence that it is the presence or absence of atomic terraces with a specific crystallographic orientation on the (102) Al₂O₃ surface that promotes growth of single-crystal (001) CeO₂ films over polycrystalline (111) CeO₂ films. The CeO₂ film nucleates so that the [010] and [100] directions of the film align parallel and perpendicular to the terrace edges. In the absence of terraces, multidomain (111) CeO₂ films result in which the in-plane orientation of the two domains are rotated by 85.71°, so that a [110] CeO₂ direction aligns parallel to either the or Al₂O₃ direction.     

Self-limiting growth of ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> films on a Si(100) substrate using ZrCl<Subscript>4</Subscript> and O<Subscript>2</Subscript> under atmospheric pressure

The ZrO₂ films were deposited onto a Si(100) substrate using an alternate reaction of ZrCl₄ and O₂ under atmospheric pressure. It is found that the growth rate of ZrO₂ film depends on the growth conditions, such as growth temperature, partial pressure of the sources being supplied, and exposure time of the substrate to the gaseous sources. Self-limiting growth of the ZrO₂ was achieved in the range of the growth temperature of 673–923 K. The x-ray diffractogram of the ZrO₂ films showed a typical diffraction pattern assigned to the tetragonal polycrystalline phase. The obtained ZrO₂ films were of smooth and uniform surface. It was found that the [O]/[Zr] ratio of the ZrO₂ films are similar to that of the ZrO₂ bulk.     

Effect of Rapid Thermal Annealing on Sputtered CaCu<Subscript>3</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> Thin Films

Calcium copper titanium oxide (CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂, abbreviated to CCTO) films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates at room temperature (RT) by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering. As-deposited CCTO films were treated by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at various temperatures and in various atmospheres. X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images demonstrated that the crystalline structures and surface morphologies of CCTO thin films were sensitive to the annealing temperature and ambient atmosphere. Polycrystalline CCTO films could be obtained when the annealing temperature was 700°C in air, and the grain size increased signifi- cantly with annealing in O₂. The 0.8-μm CCTO thin film that was deposited at RT for 2 h and then annealed at 700°C in O₂ exhibited a high dielectric constant (ε′) of 410, a dielectric loss (tan δ) of 0.17 (at 10 kHz), and a leakage current density (J) of 1.28 × 10⁻⁵ A/cm² (at 25 kV/cm).     

Preparation and Characterization of Epitaxial Conductive Nb-SrTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Thin Films on Si Substrates

Epitaxial Nb-doped SrTiO₃ (001) thin films have been integrated on Si(001) single-crystal substrates with a TiN template layer by radio-frequency (RF) sputtering. The epitaxial growth of Nb-SrTiO₃ was achieved in an Ar environment at a substrate temperature of 540°C. The orientation relationship was determined to be simply cube-on-cube as Nb-SrTiO₃ (001)[110]||TiN(001) [110]||Si(001)[110]. The deposited Nb-SrTiO₃ films show a smooth and featureless surface with roughness below 1 nm. These smooth Nb-doped SrTiO₃/TiN/Si films have a conductivity of 500 S/cm and could be promising electrodes for subsequent ferroelectric thin films.     

Optical and Dielectric Properties and Microstructures of rf-Magnetron Sputtered ZnO-Doped Zr<Subscript>0.8</Subscript>Sn<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Films on Indium Tin Oxide/Glass Substrates

Optical and dielectric properties and microstructures of ZnO-doped (Zr_0.8Sn_0.2)TiO₄ thin films prepared by radiofrequency (rf)-magnetron sputtering on indium tin oxide/glass substrates at different rf powers and substrate temperatures have been investigated. Selected-area diffraction patterns showed that the deposited films exhibited a polycrystalline microstructure. All films exhibited the ZnO-doped (Zr_0.8Sn_0.2)TiO₄ structure with the (111) orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface. The grain size as well as the deposition rate of the film increased with an increase in both rf power and substrate temperature. At an annealing temperature of 700°C, the ZnO-doped (Zr_0.8Sn_0.2)TiO₄ film possessed a dielectric constant of 47 at 10 MHz, a dissipation factor of 0.02 at 10 MHz, a leakage current density of 7.35 × 10⁻⁹  A/cm² at an electrical field of 1 kV/cm, average transmission in the visible range of over 70%, and an optical bandgap of 3.6 eV. This film will allow fabrication of fully transparent semiconductor devices such as a resistive random-access memory (RRAM) and thin-film transistors (TFTs) completely based on ZnO-doped (Zr_0.8Sn_0.2)TiO₄ thin films.     

硅基硫化锌薄膜的溅射法生长技术

利用射频磁控溅法在Si衬底上制备ZnS薄膜,用X射线衍射技术对薄膜的结构相变进行研究,揭示了Si衬底上ZnS薄膜的微观结构和相变特征与溅射功率的关系,为寻找高新发光材料提供依据。     

High electric-field-induced strain beahvior of single-crystal Pb(Mg<Subscript>1/3</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>2/3</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-xPbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> multilayer piezoelectric actuators

Two 10-mm-long multilayer prototype actuators were fabricated by a stack method using 55 pieces of 5 mm×5 mm×0.15 mm Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃ (PMNT) single crystals and PZT-5A ceramics, respectively. The strain values for PMNT multilayer piezoelectric actuators are twice those of PZT-5A multilayer actuators, and 20.8-μm displacements can be achieved at the same E-field of 15 kV/cm. Although thermal and electrical history markedly impact dielectric and piezoelectric performance of PMNT crystals, the PMNT multilayer actuator can still achieve large displacements with approximately linear behavior below 60°C. Broad stable dynamic displacement characteristic and fast displacement response make the new-type actuators promising candidates for the application in new-generation high-performance solid-state actuators.     

The Effect of Hydrogen on the Fracture Properties of 0.8(Na<Subscript>1/2</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>1/2</Subscript>)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-0.2(K<Subscript>1/2</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>1/2</Subscript>)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Ferroelectric Ceramics

The effect of hydrogen on the fracture properties of lead-free ferroelectric ceramics has been studied. For hydrogen precharged samples, the fracture toughness decreased linearly with both increasing hydrogen concentration and the logarithm of dwell time of indenting. Hydrogen-induced delayed propagation of unloaded indentation cracks can occur, and the threshold stress intensity factor of hydrogen-induced cracking induced by residual stress decreases linearly with increasing hydrogen concentration.     

Effect of Ar<Superscript>+</Superscript> Radiofrequency Plasma Treatment Conditions on the Interfacial Adhesion Energy Between Atomic-Layer-Deposited Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> and Cu Thin Films in Embedded Capacitors

The effects of Ar⁺ radiofrequency (RF) plasma pretreatment conditions on the interfacial adhesion energy of a Cu/Cr/Al₂O₃ system were investigated for thin-film capacitors in embedded printed circuit board applications. The interfacial adhesion energy was evaluated from 90 deg peel tests by calculating the plastic deformation energy of peeled metal films from the energy balance relationship during the steady-state peeling process. The interfacial adhesion energy was fivefold higher after RF plasma pretreatment of the surface of 50-nm-thick Al₂O₃ prepared by atomic layer deposition. Atomic force microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy results clearly reveal that this increase can be attributed to both mechanical interlocking and chemical bonding effects.     

Dielectric properties of low loss Ba<Subscript>6−3x</Subscript>Nd<Subscript>8+2x</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>18</Subscript>O<Subscript>54</Subscript> thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition for microwave applications

Ba_6−3xNd_8+2xTi₁₈O₅₄ with x=0.25 (BNT-0.25, or simply, BNT) dielectric thin films with a thickness of 320 nm have been prepared on Pt-coated silicon substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at the substrate temperature of 650°C in 20 Pa oxygen ambient. X-ray analysis showed that the as-deposited films are amorphous and the films remain amorphous after a postannealing at 750°C for 30 min. The dielectric constant of the BNT films has been determined to be about 80 with a low loss tan δ of about 0.006 at 1 MHz. The capacitance-voltage (C-V), capacitance-frequency, and capacitance-temperature characteristics of a BNT capacitor with Pt top electrode were measured. A low leakage-current density of 4×10⁻⁶ A/cm² at 6 V was measured, and a preliminary discussion of the leakage-current mechanism is also given. It is proposed that amorphous BNT-0.25 thin films will be a potential dielectric material for microwave applications.     

Effect of ZnO Nanoparticles on the Sintering Behavior and Physical Properties of Bi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>(Na<Subscript>0.8</Subscript>K<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>)<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Lead-Free Ceramics

Sintered Bi_0.5(Na_0.8K_0.2)_0.5TiO₃ + x wt.% ZnO nanoparticle (BNKT–xZnO_n) ceramics have been fabricated by conventional annealing with the aid of ultrasound waves for preliminary milling. Because of the presence of the liquid Bi₂O₃–ZnO phase at the eutectic point of 738°C, the sintering temperature decreased from 1150°C to 1000°C, and the morphology phase boundary of BNKT–xZnO_n ceramics can be clarified by two separated peaks at (002)_T and (200)_T of 2θ in the x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The improvement of ferroelectric properties has been obtained for BNZT–0.2 wt.% ZnO_n ceramics by the increase of remanent polarization up to 20.4 μC/cm² and a decrease of electric coercive field down to 14.2 kV/cm. The piezoelectric parameters of the ceramic included a piezoelectric charge constant of d ₃₁ = 78 pC/N; electromechanical coupling factors k _p = 0.31 and k _t = 0.34, larger than the values of 42 pC/N, 0.12 and 0.13, respectively, were obtained for the BNKT ceramics.     

射频磁控溅射法制备(Ba_(0.7)Sr_(0.3))TiO_3铁电薄膜

采用射频磁控溅射法制备了用于非致冷红外焦平面阵列的 ( Ba0 .7Sr0 .3) Ti O3( BST)铁电薄膜。研究了BST铁电薄膜的制备工艺 ,分析了 BST铁电薄膜的晶体结构和微观形貌。测试了其介电特性 ,测得的相对介电常数 -温度曲线表明制备的 ( Ba0 .7Sr0 .3) Ti O3铁电薄膜的居里温度在室温附近 ,约 3 0°C处。     

Thickness Effect of Nb-Doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Transparent Conductive Oxide Grown on Glass Substrates Fabricated by RF Sputtering

Transparent conducting Nb-doped titanium oxide (NTO) films were deposited on a non-alkali glass substrate using an RF magnetron sputtering method with post-annealing. Structural, electrical and optical properties of the NTO films were found to be strongly dependent on film thickness. A resistivity of 4.2 × 10^?3 Ω cm and an average visible transmittance of ～70% were obtained at the film thickness of 360 nm, indicating that the polycrystalline NTO fabricated by the sputtering method has sufficient potential as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) candidate for practical applications.     

Thermal Stability Study of Cu(MoN<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>) Seed Layer on Barrierless Si

This study reports the good thermal stability of a sputtered Cu(MoN _x ) seed layer on a barrierless Si substrate. A Cu film with a small amount of MoN _x was deposited by reactive co-sputtering of Cu and Mo in an Ar/N₂ gas mixture. After annealing at 560°C for 1 h, no copper silicide formation was observed at the interface of Cu and Si. Leakage current and resistivity evaluations reveal the good thermal reliability of Cu with a dilute amount of MoN _x at temperatures up to 560°C, suggesting its potential application in advanced barrierless metallization. The thermal performance of Cu(MoN _x ) as a seed layer was evaluated when pure Cu is deposited on top. X-ray diffraction, focused ion beam microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy results confirm the presence of an ∼10-nm-thick reaction layer formed at the seed layer/Si interface after annealing at 630°C for 1 h. Although the exact composition and structure of this reaction layer could not be unambiguously identified due to trace amounts of Mo and N, this reaction layer protects Cu from a detrimental reaction with Si. The Cu(MoN _x ) seed layer is thus considered to act as a diffusion buffer with stability up to 630°C for the barrierless Si scheme. An electrical resistivity of 2.5 μΩ cm was obtained for the Cu/Cu(MoN _x ) scheme after annealing at 630°C.     

磁控溅射法制备BST铁电薄膜的实验研究

采用射频磁控溅射法在Si和Pt/TiOx/SiO2/Si衬底上沉积了(Ba0.65Sr0.35)TiO3铁电薄膜,研究了BST铁电薄膜微观结构和介电性能。实验结果表明:衬底温度在550℃,工作气压为2.0 Pa的溅射条件下沉积的BST薄膜,经750℃退火处理30 min后,形成了完整的钙钛矿相;与Si衬底相比,在Pt衬底上制备的BST薄膜晶粒更均匀、表面平整无裂纹。在室温、频率为100 kHz条件下薄膜的介电常数ε=353.8,介电损耗tanδ=0.012 8。介电温谱结果表明制备的(Ba0.65Sr0.35)TiO3铁电薄膜居里温度在5.0℃左右。     

Growth of Polarity-Controlled ZnO Films on (0001) Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The polarity control of ZnO films grown on (0001) Al₂O₃ substrates by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (P-MBE) was achieved by using a novel CrN buffer layer. Zn-polar ZnO films were obtained by using a Zn-terminated CrN buffer layer, while O-polar ZnO films were achieved by using a Cr₂O₃ layer formed by O-plasma exposure of a CrN layer. The mechanism of polarity control was proposed. Optical and structural quality of ZnO films was characterized by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Low-temperature PL spectra of Zn-polar and O-polar samples show dominant bound exciton (I₈) and strong free exciton emissions. Finally, one-dimensional periodic structures consisting of Zn-polar and O-polar ZnO films were simultaneously grown on the same substrate. The periodic inversion of polarity was confirmed in terms of growth rate, surface morphology, and piezo response microscopy (PRM) measurement.