CHARACTERISTIC OF (100)-TEXTURED (PbxSr1 −x)TiO3 THIN FILMS USED FOR DRAM AND TUNABLE DEVICE APPLICATION

ABSTRACT

The (Pb_xSr_1-x)TiO₃ (PST) thin films were deposited on LaNiO₃ (LNO(1 0 0))/ Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates electrode by RF-magnetron sputtering using three different Pb target composition ranging from 32.5%～37.5% and different process condition. Structural and dielectric properties of the PST thin films for tunable microwave and DRAM application were investigated. The PST thin films deposited at 400°C show higher dielectric constant than those post-annealed at 600°C because of better crystallization. The former also have lower leakage current around 10^?8 A/cm² up to applied field of 350 kv/cm, which is suitable for DRAM application. On the other hand, the post-annealed PST thin films have satisfactory tunability around 58% and figure of merit around 30, which are more suitable for microwave device application.     

Electrical properties of paraelectric PLT(28) thin films deposited by dc magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Paraelectric [Pb, La]TiO₃ (PLT, La = 28 mol%) thin films were prepared by dc magnetron sputtering using a multi-element metal target. In order to crystallize the as-deposited PLT thin films into the cubic perovskite structure, a heat treatment was applied at annealing temperatures ranging between 450 and 750°C. The electrical measurements such as dielectric properties, polarization-electric field (P-E), and current-voltage (I–V) were investigated with the change of annealing temperature. The dielectric constant and dissipation factor of paraelectric PLT film annealed at 750°C were 1216 and 0.018, respectively. The charge storage density was approximately 12.5 μC/cm². The leakage current density in PLT film annealed at 650°C was around 0.1 μA/cm² at the electric field of 0.25 MV/cm.     

Ferroelectric properties of plzt thin films prepared by mocvd

Abstract

Lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) thin films have been grown on Pt/SiO₂/Si substrate at 650[ddot]C by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The relative dielectric constant increased as the La content was increased up to about 5 atomic percent (at%). The remanent polarization and coercive field decreased from 30 to 20 μC/cm² and from 53 to 30 kV/cm, respectively, with increasing La content in the range of 0–13 at%. The leakage current of PLZT film was 3 × 10^?9 A/cm² at an applied voltage of 3 V. The degradation of switched charge density of PLZT film was not observed even at 2 × 10¹¹ cycles.     

Pulsed Laser Deposition of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 Thin Films and Their Optical Properties

ABSTRACT

Barium strontium titanate [Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ or BST (60/40)] thin films were deposited on MgO (100) substrates using pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed that the BST thin films had epitaxially grown on the MgO (100) substrates. The surface morphology of the thin films was observed using an atomic force microscope and the grain size was found to be about 100–150 nm. The surface roughness was around 4.9 nm for a 250 nm thick film. The optical transmittance of the BST thin film was measured using a transmission mode ellipsometer. The BST/MgO configuration was highly transparent in the visible region. The optical band gap energy of the BST film, calculated by applying the Tauc relation, was 3.56 eV. Optical waveguide characteristics of the BST (60/40) thin film were determined using a prism coupler. The electro-optic (E-O) properties were measured at 632.8 nm wavelength using a phase modulation detection method. The BST film exhibited a predominately quadratic E-O behavior and the quadratic E-O coefficient was found to be 0.58 × 10^{? 17} m²/V².     

Preparation of BST thin films on Pt electrode on Si wafer with down-flow LSMCVD reactor

Abstract

A novel type of down-flow LSMCVD (Liquid Source Mist CVD) reactor was developed to prepare a high dielectric BST thin film on Pt electrode on Si wafer. Barium acetate [Ba (OOCCH₃)₂], strontium acetate [Sr (OOCCH₃)₂], and titanium isoproxide [Ti (OC₃H₇ ⁱ )₄] were used as metal sources. Metal sources were dissolved in acetic acid, 1-butanol, or 2-methoxyethanol. BST [Ba/(Ba + Sr) = 0.7] film annealed on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si above 650°C was polycrystalline. BST film has a (110) preferred orientation with increasing temperature. Surface roughness of BST film and grain size increased with increasing temperature. The metal-oxygen bond was formed at 650°C as shown in the spectra of FTIR. The depth profiles of elements of BST thin films indicated a uniform composition throughout the film. BST films annealed at 750°C showed a dielectric constant and a tanδ of 390 (thickness: 150 nm) and 0.06 at a frequency of 100 kHz, respectively. The behavior of capacitance of the BST film with bias voltage showed paraelectric property. BST film annealed at 750°C had the leakage current density of 3.2 (μA/cm²) at a bias voltage of 2V.     

Planar and Parallel Dielectric Properties of Compositionally Graded (Ba,Sr)TiO3 Thin Films for Tunable Microwave Applications

Compositionally graded (Ba_x,Sr_{1 ? x})TiO₃ [BST] ferroelectric thin films have been received much attention in graded ferroelectric devices due to their unique properties, such as large pyroelectric coefficients, large polarization offset and small temperature coefficient of dielectric constant for microwave tunable devices. Compositionally graded BST thin films were deposited epitaxially on LaAlO₃ [LAO] and Nb-doped SrTiO₃ [STO:Nb] substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The planar and parallel dielectric properties of compositionally graded BST epitaxial thin films ware investigated in the frequency ranges of 100 Hz ～ 1 MHz as a function of the direction of the composition gradient with respect to the substrate at room temperature. The dielectric properties of the graded BST films depended strongly on the direction of the composition gradient with respect to the substrate. The graded ST → BT films grown on LAO and STO:Nb substrates exhibited a excellent dielectric properties than the graded BT → ST films.     

Structure and dielectric properties of Ca-doped (Ba0.7Sr0.3) TiO3 thin films fabricated by sol–gel method

A wide range of Ca-doped (Ba_0.7Sr_0.3)TiO₃ (BST) thin films (from 0 to 20 mol%) have been prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si (100) substrates by sol–gel technique. The structural and dielectric properties of BST thin films were investigated as a function of Ca dopant concentration. The results showed that the microstructure and dielectric properties of the BST films were strongly dependent on the Ca contents. With the Ca dopant concentration increasing, the grain size, dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the BST thin films decreased. As the content of Ca dopant reaches 10 mol%, the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, tunability, the value of FOM and the leakage current density are 281, 0.0136, 16.7%, 12.3 and 5.5?×?10^?6 A/cm², respectively.     

Deposition and characterization of low-loss epitaxial non-linear dielectric thin films for microwave devices

Abstract

Oxide ferroelectric thin films for frequency-tunable microwave devices, in which the dielectric constant of the non-linear dielectric is varied by application of electric fields, have been deposited using PLD. We have fabricated single phase epitaxial Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ and KTaO₃ thin film capacitors for applications at 300K and 77K, respectively. Single phase KTaO₃ films were obtained only with excess potassium source in the target along with KTaO₃ perovskite phase. The films have been characterized for structure and morphology by X-ray diffraction and AFM. The dielectric properties were measured in the low frequency range from 100 kHz to 10 MHz, using interdigitated capacitors. Low loss tangents (0.002 at 300K) were observed for highly oriented Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ films. The importance of low losses for various devices is discussed and the dielectric constants, loss tangents and tunability of these films are reported in this paper.     

Ferroelectric Pb5Ge3O11 MFMOS capacitor for one transistor memory applications

Abstract

The basic mechanism for an one transistor memory device has been studied. Many ferroelectric materials such PbZr_xTi_1?xO₃ (PZT), SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT), Pb₅Ge₃O₁₁ (PGO) etc. were analyzed for this application. Because of its low remanent polarization and low dielectric constant, the c-oriented Pb₅Ge₃O₁₁ thin film was selected for one-transistor memory applications. Pb₅Ge₃O₁₁ thin films have been prepared using MOCVD and RTP (Rapid Thermal Process) post-annealing. Lead bis-tetramethylheptadione [Pb(thd)₂] and germanium ethoxide [Ge(OC₂H₅)₄] were used as the precursors. The Pb₅Ge₃O₁₁thin films were deposited onto Ir/Ti/SiO₂/Si wafers to measure their compositions, phase formation, microstructure and ferroelectric properties. The extremely highly c-oriented Pb₅Ge₃O₁₁ thin films showed good ferroelectric and electrical properties. A 300 nm thick PGO thin film exhibited a square and saturated hysteresis loop with 2Pr of 3.98 μC/cm², 2Ec of 128 KV/cm at an applied voltage 5V, leakage current of 5.1×10^?7 A/cm² at 100 KV/cm, and dielectric constant of close to 36. The c-axis oriented Pb₅Ge₃O₁₁ thin film also exhibited very good retention properties. The experimental results showed that a Pb₅Ge₃O₁₁ MFMOS gate stack is suitable for one-transistor memory applications.     

IN-PLANE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF EPITAXIAL Ba(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 THIN FILM GROWN ON LSAT (001) SINGLE CRYSTAL SUBSTRATE

ABSTRACT

Ba(Zr_0.3Ti_0.7)O₃ (BZT) thin film was deposited on (LaAlO₃)0.3(Sr₂AlTaO₆)_0.35 [LSAT] (001) single crystal substrate using pulsed laser deposition. The X-ray diffraction pattern reveals an epitaxial growth of the film with a pure perovskite phase. The in-plane dielectric properties of the Ba(Zr_0.3Ti_0.7)O₃ thin film was characterized as a function of frequency (1 kHz–500 MHz), temperature (125 K–373 K) and dc electric field (0–13.3 V/μm) using gold interdigital electrodes. The relative permittivity of the film exhibits strong dependence of the dc bias field over the whole frequency range. The relative permittivity has a high tunability of 73%–50% at room temperature in the frequency range of 1 kHz to 500 MHz, showing the potential of our Ba(Zr_0.3Ti_0.7)O₃ thin film to be used in microwave devices.     

Preparation and characterization of PZT ferroelectric thin films by plasma enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

PZT thin films with a uniform distribution of components were prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using Pb(C₂H₅)₄, Z (O-i-C₄H₉)₄, Ti(O-i-C₃H₇)₄, and oxygen. The crystallization of films was occure after annealing in the temperature range between 450 and 550°C under O₂ ambient for 1 hr. The significant change of Pb concentration in PECVD PZT thin films was not observed in the relation to annealing temperature and time. The dielectric constant PECVD PZT thin films increased with the Ti content, showed the maximum value in the vicinity of morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) composition of PZT material, and decreased with the Ti content. The leakage current density of PZT (65/35) thin film of 180 nm in thickness was 3·37 × 10^?7 A/cm² at the applied voltage of 3 V. Remanent polarization increased with increasing of Zr content in the film and coercive field was nearly independent of the composition. The typical values of electrical properties were ε_r = 570, E_c = 90 kV/cm, and P_r = 19 μC/cm² in the PECVD PZT (54/46) thin film of 220 nm in thickness.     

Pulsed excimer laser deposition of ferroelectric thin films

Abstract

Pulsed UV excimer laser ablation was employed to deposit multi-axial, bi-axial and uni-axial ferroelectric compositions of PZT, bismuth titanate and lead germanate respectively. In general, a fluence lower than 2 J/cm² caused a preferential evaporation of volatile components, resulting in stoichiometric imbalance. However, the fluences beyond 2 J/cm² enabled the deposition of stoichiometric thin films of multi-component oxide systems. The intrinsic bombardment due to the energetic ablated species during the thin film deposition seemed to influence the composition, structure, orientation and the electrical properties. The electrical characterization of ferroelectric films indicated a dielectric constant of 800–1000, a P_r of 32μC/cm² and E_c of 130KV/cm for polycrystalline PZT films and the corresponding quantities were measured to be 150, 7 μC/cm² and 20 KV/cm for in-situ crystallized c-axis preferred oriented bismuth titanate films. Lead germanate thin films oriented along c-axis (003) showed a dielectric constant of 30, a P_r of 2.5 μC/cm² and E_c of 55 KV/cm.     

Piezo- and pyroelectric properties of lead scandium tantalate thin films

Abstract

This paper discusses the piezo- and pyroelectric properties of lead scandium tantalate thin films prepared by modified sol-gel technology. Films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si-sub-strates at 530–630 °C. The quality of the thin films was optimized by design of both the deposition conditions and the solution chemistry. These approaches include spin coating speed, drying plus crystallization temperature and time, drying atmosphere, the use of rapid thermal annealing, PST sol composition, Pb-excess concentration and mixing method. The finished thin films were characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and pyroelectric measurements at 30°C under a DC-bias. Piezo-response AFM was conducted on PST to monitor various piezoelectric responses, which depend on the micro-structure of the film. The maximum pyroelectric figure-of-merit F_D was 3.85×10^?5 Pa^?1/2 at 30°C and 1 kHz under a 35 V DC-bias.     

Comparison of properties between rapid thermally processed and conventional furnace pyrolyzed plzt thin films

Abstract

PLZT thin films of composition 2/55/45 (La/Zr/Ti) were spin coated from acetate precursors and crystallized by rapid thermal processing (RTP) and conventional furnace pyrolysis (CFP). One experiment isolating the effects of thermal processing from deposition technique involved a comparison of rapid thermally processed films, produced with a computer controlled automatic spin coat reactor/analyzer, with conventional furnace pyrolyzed films, fabricated manually using a photoresist spin technique. Heating rates of at least 70[ddot]C per second for RTP versus 35[ddot]C per second for CFP yielded differences in film properties with thermal processing technique. All of the films were spun on Pt-coated Si substrates and were fired at 700[ddot]C for 15 total minutes; however, different firing schedules were utilized with variable individual layer firing times and post-anneal times. These variable firing schedules also yielded noticeable differences in film properties. Film thickness, measured with a laser ellipsometer, ranged from 0.4 to 0.5 μm. RTP thin films exhibited improved crystallinity, smaller grain size and better saturated hysteresis loops than CFP films. Higher dielectric constants of 715–1700 and lower coercive fields of 34–64 kV/cm were also observed in the RTP films compared to 600–740 and 63–104 kV/cm, respectively, for CFP films.     

Phase formations and ferroelectric properties of PLT thin films by MOCVD

Abstract

La-modified lead titanate, Pb_1-x La _x TiO₃(PLT), thin films were prepared on Si[100] and Pt/SiO₂/Si substrates by the low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) method with the hot-wall type. The PLT films were deposited at 500°C with the low-pressure of 0.1 Torr, and then annealed at 650°C with an oxygen ambient for 10 minutes. Irrespective of substrate properties and La molar fractions, the films revealed the [100] preferred-orientation. With increasing the La mole %(up to 34%) in the films, the surface morphology improved, and the ferroelectricity and the leakage current density decreased. On the other hand, up to the La 22 mole%, the relative dielectric constant increased from 900 to 1200.     

Thin films of novel ferroelectric composites

Abstract

Composites of BSTO combined with other non electrically active oxides have demonstrated adjustable electronic properteis which can be tailored for use in various electronic devices.^[1,2] These novel composites of barium strontium titanate (BSTO) and oxide III compounds have already exhibited promising results in their ceramic form.^[3] The additive oxides modify the dielectric constant, tunability (change in the dielectric constant with applied voltage), and dielectric loss of the material. One application has been for use in phased array antennas and insertion has been accomplished into several working antenna systems.^[4] To further accommodate the frequencies required by these phased array antennas, thin films of the composites have been fabricated. Preliminary studies have indicated that thin films of such composites exhibit similar behavior as their bulk ceramic counterparts.^[5] The purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of the BSTO/oxide III based compounds in thin film form.     

Characterization of the CeO2 thin films for insulation layer and Pt/SrBi2Ta2O9/CeO2/Si MFISFET structure

Abstract

CeO₂ and SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) thin films for MFISFET (metal-fcrroelectrics-insulator-semiconductor field effect transistor) were deposited by rf sputtering and pulsed laser deposition method, respectively. The effects of oxygen partial pressure during deposition for CeO₂ films were investigated. The oxygen partial pressure significantly affected the preferred orientation, grain size and electrical properties of CeO₂ films. The CeO₂ thin films with a (200) preferred orientation were deposited on Si(100) substrates at 600°C. The films deposited under the oxygen partial pressure of 50 % showed the best C-V characteristics among those under various conditions. The leakage current density of films showed order of the 10^?7～10^?8 A/cm² at 100 kV/cm. The SBT thin films on CeO₂/Si substrate showed dense microstructure of polycrystalline phase. From the C-V characteristics of MFIS structure composed of the SBT film annealed at 800°C, the memory window width was 0.9 V at ±5 V. The leakage current density of Pt/SBT/CeO₂/Si structure annealed at 800°C was 4×10^?7 A/cm² at 5 V.     

Ferroelectric Na0.5K0.5NbO3 thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

Highly c-axis oriented single phase Na_0.5K_0.5NbO₃ (NKN) thin films have been deposited onto polycrystalline Pt₈₀lr₂₀ substrates and SiO₂/Si(001) wafers using pulsed laser ablation of stoichiometric ceramic target. Strong self-assembling of NKN films along the [001] direction has been observed. Properties of NKN/Pt thin film structures have been successfully tailored by oxygen pressure control from the ferroelectric state, characterized by the remnant polarization of 12 uC/cm², dielectric constant ? ～ 520 and tan δ ～ 0.024 @ 100 kHz, to superparaelectric state with tan δ as low as 0.003 and ? = 210 with very small 1.7% dispersion in the frequency domain 0.4–100 kHz and less than 10% variation in the temperature range 77–415 K. NKN films grown onto SiO₂/Si(001) substrates show quadrupled super-lattice structure along c-axis, loss tan δ less than 0.01, and ? ～ 110 @ 1 MHz. C-V measurements for Au/NKN (270nm)/SiO₂/Si MFIS-diode structure yield memory window of 3.26 V at the programmable voltage of 8 V.     

Preparation and properties of sputtered lead titanate thin films on MgO single crystals and mgo buffer layers

Abstract

By means of planar multitarget sputtering (001) oriented PbTiO₃ films were deposited onto highly preferred (100) oriented platinum electrodes on (100) MgO single crystal substrates. Single phase perovskite type films with a degree of (001) orientation between 60% and 70% have been sputtered at substrate temperatures as low as about 470°C. The as grown films exhibit a dielectric constant in the range of 120 to 140 and a pyroelectric coefficient of about 20 nCcm^?2K^?1 at room temperature. The dielectric loss is about 0.01 at frequencies from 1 to 10 kHz. (100) GaAs substrates with an evaporated, highly oriented (100) MgO buffer layer were also used as substrates. However, on these substrates the platinum bottom electrode did not grow highly oriented though the same deposition parameters for Pt deposition as in the case of the single crystalline MgO substrate were used. That's why PbTiO₃ was produced with a lower (001) preferred orientation. Therefore, the dielectric constant is higher (170–190) and the pyroelectric coefficient is lower (12 nCcm^?2K^?1).     

THE STUDY OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND TUNABILITY OF Ba(SnxTi1-x)O3 THIN FILMS

ABSTRACT

Barium tin titanate Ba(Sn_xTi_1?x)O₃ (BTS, x = 0.05,0.1,0.15,0.2,0.25) thin films have been prepared by sol-gel technique on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates. The influences of Sn content on the evolution of the phase and microstructure of the thin films were examined. Dielectric properties of the thin films were investigated as a function of frequency and direct current electric field. The result shows that the Sn content strongly influences the microstructure and the dielectric properties of the films. This work clearly reveals the highly promising potential of BTS films for application in tunable microwave devices.