High Quality Silicon-Based AlN Thin Films for MEMS Application

ABSTRACT

Aluminum nitride is an attractive piezoelectric material for MEMS devices such as bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices. (002)-oriented AlN films were deposited on Si, Al and Pt by reactive sputtering. Optimized AlN (002) peak reaches a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 5.6°. Auger electron spectroscopy is used to analyze the oxygen contamination of films. To find the suitable electrode material for device application, the growth mechanism of AlN crystallites on different substrates is also discussed. Based on sputtered AlN films, the prototype of AlN thin film bulk acoustic resonator (TFBAR) was fabricated successfully.     

CHARACTERIZATIONS OF GALLIUM AND ARSENIC CO-DOPED ZnO THIN FILMS DEPOSITED BY PULSED LASER DEPOSITION TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACT

Gallium and arsenic doped ZnO thin films (0.1 at.%) were deposited at different temperatures by using pulsed laser deposition technique. An x-ray diffractometer was used to investigate the structural properties of the thin films. It is found that the thin films have a preferred (002) orientation, and the peak intensity of the (002) orientation increases with increasing growth temperature. Atomic force microscope was used to investigate the surface morphologies of the thin films. The grain size and roughness of the thin films depend on the growth temperature. A spectrophotometer was used to measure the transmittances of the thin films. The band gap energies of the thin films were calculated by linear fitting the sharp absorption edge of high-quality thin films. It is found that, the band gap energies of gallium and arsenic co-doped ZnO thin films are larger than the pure ZnO due to Burstein-Moss effect, and the band gap energy decreases with increasing growth temperature. A spectrometer was used to investigate the luminescent properties of the thin films. All of the thin films show near band edge emission and no deep-level emissions are observed. This is believed to be the compensation of the oxygen vacancies. Hall measurements indicate that all the thin films are n-type semiconductor and the doped thin film grown at 400°C is the most conductive and has the highest mobility.     

Preparation of Textured Growth Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films on Si Substrate Using SrTiO3 as Buffer Layers

PZT thin films are deposited on SiO₂/Si substrate by metallo-organic decomposition (MOD) process, using SrTiO₃ (STO) as buffer layer for textured growth. The STO layers deposited on SiO₂/Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition process show (100)/(200) preferred orientation, whereas the STO buffer layer deposited on silica substrate using spin-coating technique show random orientation behavior. The use of STO as buffer layers enhanced the crystallization and the preferred orientations of the PZT films. The PZT on STO buffered SiO₂/Si substrates thus obtained possess high refractive index, (n)_PZT/STO = 2.1159, and are of good enough quality for optical waveguide applications.     

Novel diffusion control process using ultra thin buffer layer for MFIS memory

Abstract

MFIS structures having excellent clear interfaces and well-crystallized ferroelectric layer were successfully fabricated by a newly developed ultra thin metal buffer layer process on SiO₂/Si. We examined the effect of sputtered Zr or ZrO₂ ultra thin films as a buffer layer for Pb_xLa_1?xTiO₃ (PLT) growth. TEM observation revealed that the buffer layer formation process in which Zr oxidized after the metal deposition had advantages to produce MFIS structures. This method is also superior for the crystallization and the control of the orientation of PLT thin film on amorphous SiO₂. Especially, for buffer layer thicknesses below 10 nm, preferred c-axis oriented PLT thin films were grown. The I-V characteristics of MFIS-FET fabricated by the proposed method showed a clear memory window due to the remanent polarization of the ferroelectric thin film. This process is the most attractive candidate for realizing MFIS structure memory.     

Nanoscale phenomena of gallium-doped ZnO thin films on sapphire substrates

Gallium-doped ZnO (1.2 at. %) thin films with various thicknesses were deposited on sapphire (001) substrates at 500^∘C using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The thin films with different thicknesses (20, 40, 100, 200, 400, and 600 nm, respectively) were obtained by changing the deposition time. An x-ray diffractometer (XRD) was used to investigate the structural properties of the thin films. All of the thin films had a preferred (002) orientation. However, the thin films with 20 and 40 nm thicknesses were of low crystallinity. With increasing thickness the (002) peak increased greatly, and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values were calculated by using omega scans. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to investigate the nanoscale phenomena and the surface morphologies of the thin films. The surface roughness increased as the thickness increased. The thin film with 20 nm thickness was very smooth, and no nucleation center could be observed. However, the thin film with thickness over 100 nm showed nucleation. The nucleation center varied with increasing thickness. A spectrometer was used to investigate the luminescent properties of the thin films. It was found that all of the thin films showed near band edge emissions and no deep-level emissions were observed. A blueshift was also observed due to the Burstein-Moss effect.     

EFFECTS OF PZT BUFFER LAYERS ON PZFNT FERROELECTRIC THIN FILMS

ABSTRACT

PZFNT thin films were fabricated on 5-inch Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si and PZT/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method and rapid thermal annealing process. By investigating the two thin films at various annealing temperatures, the results show that the annealing temperature of PZFNT thin films without PZT buffer layers is about 730°C, which is higher than that of PZFNT films with PZT buffer layers. By use of PZT buffer layers, the annealing temperature of PZFNT films is decreased greatly, and the dielectric and ferroelectric properties are improved. In the optimum process, the thin films with PZT buffer layers have a dielectric constant of 1199 and dielectric loss of 3.0% at 1 KHz. The remanent polarization and coercive field of the thin films are 21.1 μC/cm² and 53.5 KV/cm respectively. The films have the significant potential for FRAM and pyroelectric infrared detectors.     

Improvement of the electrical properties of PZT thin films using TiO2 buffer layer

Abstract

Thin TiO₂ layers were sputter-deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si wafers, as buffer layers for PZT thin film capacitors. It was found that TiO2 buffers of less than 4-nm-thickness could assist in obtaining highly uniform PZT thin films with no second phase. The leakage current behaviors of the PZT based capacitor are improved, while retaining the ferroelectric properties of PZT thin films such as remanent polarization and coercive field. In addition, the uniform distribution of oxygen in PZT on TiO₂/Pt indicates that the TiO₂ buffer layer act as a barrier for lead-platinum reaction, as well as for oxygen diffusion.     

Tailoring the structural and optical properties of RF magnetron sputtered ZnO/graphene thin films by annealing temperature

Abstract

ZnO and ZnO/Graphene thin films were deposited on Cu substrate using a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and the magnetron sputtering method. The impacts of graphene layer growth and annealing temperature on the optical properties ZnO and ZnO/Graphene thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements respectively. XRD and SEM results reveal that all the thin films preferred the crystalline [001] orientation along the c-axis direction, which were vertical grown on substrate surface. By comparing the results and analysis of their structure, morphology, chemical bonding and optical property, it is proved that using Graphene as a buffer layer can improve the crystal quality of ZnO thin films. For the annealed ZnO/graphene nanostructures, the area ratio of UV and visible emission region of ZnO/graphene thin films increase with increasing the annealing temperature, reaches a maximum at 500?°C and then starts decreasing with further increase in annealing temperature, which indicating that the controllable ZnO/Graphene thin films have the higher crystallization quality at the annealing temperature of 500?°C. Our results demonstrate that for high quality ZnO/graphene thin films deposition, decreasing the defect concentration should be preferable to simply applying the proper annealing temperature, which might have promising applications for various UV photodetectors devices.     

Enhancement of the surface and structural properties of ZnO epitaxial films grown on Al2O3 substrates utilizing annealed ZnO buffer layers

ZnO films were grown on Al₂O₃ (1000) substrates without and with ZnO buffer layers by using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Atomic force microscopy images showed that the surface roughness of the ZnO films grown on ZnO buffer layers annealed in a vacuum was decreased, indicative of an improvement in the ZnO surfaces. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the crystallinity of the ZnO thin films was enhanced by using the annealed ZnO buffer layer in comparison with the film grown on without a buffer layer. The improvement of the surface and structural properties of the ZnO films might be attributed to the formation of the Zn-face ZnO buffers due to annealing in a vacuum. These results indicate that the surface and structural properties of ZnO films grown on Al₂O₃ substrates are improved by using ZnO buffer layers annealed in a vacuum.     

An aqueous,low temperature process for synthesizing PZT(53,47) thin films

Abstract

The Deposition by Aqueous Acetate Solution (DAAS) technique has been developed for the preparation of thin films of Pb(Zr_0.53Ti_0.47)O₃[PZT(53,47)] perovskites. This process, which employs titanium acetate, tends to establish a chemically bound network in the pre-annealed phase and facilitates the crystallization of ferroelectric lead perovskites at a relatively low temperature. The addition of surface wetting reagents and oxidants and the action of ultrasonic waves were shown to affect the crystallinity and film quality of PZT(53, 47) perovskites on Pt<111>/Ti/SiO₂/Si<100> substrates. The band structure analysis of the FTIR spectrum is illustrated to be a simple way of monitoring the crystallization of PZT(53, 47) perovskites. Physical and electrical characterization of the resultant thin films were performed. The advantages of the DAAS process for fabricating thin ferroelectric films are examined.     

Chemical solution processing and properties of tungsten bronze (ba,la)nb2o6 thin films

Abstract

Highly oriented (Ba,La)Nb₂O₆ thin films have been synthesized by a chemical solution deposition method. A homogeneous and stable (Ba_0.75La_0.167)Nb₂O₆ (BLN) precursor solution was prepared by controlling the reaction of metal alkoxides. BLN precursor films crystallized in the tetragonal tungsten bronze phase at 700°C. BLN thin films on MgO(100) and Pt(100)/MgO(100) substrates showed the prominent c-axis preferred orientation. BLN thin films on Pt(100)/MgO(100) exhibited the diffuse phase transition depending upon the frequency.     

Epitaxial and large area PLD ferroelectric thin film heterostructures on silicon substrates

Abstract

Epitaxial thin films of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ and SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) onto epitaxial thin film templates of CeO₂/YSZ as well as on epitaxial electrodes of (La_0.5Sr_0.5)CoO₃, in turn deposited onto CeO₂/YSZ template layers. These electrode and buffer layers have been deposited by PLD as well. The same heterostructures, namely ferroelectric Bilayered perovskite films on the same stack of epitaxial layers, have also been deposited by large area PLD. This technique allows deposition with a good uniformity onto entire silicon 3-inch wafers. Thickness and composition uniformity of the ferroelectric films, electrodes and buffer layers are important with regard to their possible application in microelectronics. Uniformities achieved are in the range of 5 to 15% of the mean thickness, depending on the material and deposition conditions.     

Texturing and electrical characteristics of sol-gel derived ferroelectric thin films

Abstract

Highly oriented PZT, PLZT and PMN thin films were fabricated on various substrates using sol-gel method. The thin films having different orientation were fabricated by different drying conditions for pyrolysis. The preferred orientations of the PZT, PLZT and PMN thin films were observed using XRD(X-ray diffraction). The hysteresis loops, capacitance-voltage, and fatigue characteristics of the films were investigated using an RT66A standardized ferroelectric test system. The dielectric constant and current-voltage characteristics of the films were investigated using impedance analyzer and pA meter, respectively. The films oriented in particular direction showed better electrical characteristics to the randomly oriented films.     

Electrical and optical characterisation of aluminium nitride piezoelectric films on silicon nitride membranes

Aluminium nitride (AlN) is a thin film piezoelectric material having excellent potential for integration with microelectronic systems. We have investigated flexural modes of Si₃N₄ membrane structures with and without an AlN active layer. AlN films typically 3 μm thick were deposited by RF sputtering. Mechanical excitation was provided acoustically by sweeping the excitation frequency of a 1 MHz air-coupled ultrasonic transducer. Mode shapes were verified by scanning laser vibrometry up to the [3,3] mode, in the frequency range 100 kHz to 1 MHz. Resonant frequencies were identified at the predicted values provided the tension in the layers could be estimated. For a membrane structure incorporating an AlN layer, acoustic and electrical excitation of flexural modes was confirmed by displacement measurements using laser vibrometry and resonant frequencies were compared with analytical calculations.     

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.     

MORFOLOGICAL AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF II–VI SEMICONDUCTOR THIN FILMS (ZnTe,CdTe, ZnS)

ABSTRACT

The surface morphology and microstructural characteristic of ZnTe, CdTe and ZnS thin films obtained by close-spaced sublimation technique were investigated. The structural features of layers were examined by XRD, SEM and optical microscopy. Size of coherent scattering regions, lattice microstrain and stacking fault defect concentration were estimated from X-ray diffraction line broadening. The investigation performed elucidates effect of preparation conditions on main structural characteristics of ZnTe, CdTe and ZnS thin films.     

The Effect of La-Doped Bi4Ti3O12 Buffer Layer on Crystallinity and Ferroelectric Properties of PbZr0.58Ti0.42O3/Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 Multilayered Thin Films

PbZr_0.58Ti_0.42O₃ (PZT) ferroelectric thin films with Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) buffer layer of various thickness were fabricated on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/p-Si(100) substrates by rf-magnetron sputtering method. The pure PZT film showed (111) preferential orientation in the XRD patterns, and the PZT/BLT films showed (110) preferential orientation with increasing thickness of the BLT layer. There were no obvious diffraction peaks for the BLT buffer layer, for its thin thickness in PZT/BLT multilayered films. There were the maximum number of largest-size grains in PZT/BLT(30 nm) film among all the samples from the surface images of FESEM. The growth direction and grain size had significant effects on ferroelectric properties of the multilayered films. The fatigue characteristics suggested that 30-nm-thick BLT was just an effective buffer layer enough to alleviate the accumulation of oxygen vacancies near the PZT/BLT interface. The comparison of these results suggests that the buffer layer with an appropriate thickness can improve the ferroelectric properties of multilayered films greatly.     

Preparation and Characterization of PZT films Fabricated on Si Substrate

Lead zirconium titanate (PZT) films (Zr/Ti=45:55) with a high dielectric constant are prepared successfully on the low-resistance Si substrate in sol–gel dip-coating process with PT film used as the buffer layer. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the films as well as the relationship between crystallization and preparing condition are studied. It is shown that the PZT ferroelectric thin films with a (110) preferred orientation and a well-crystallized perovskite structure could be obtained after annealing at 800°C for 15 min. The particle size of the sample is about 14–25 nm. The P–E hysteresis loops are measured by means of the Sawyer-Tower test system with a compensation resistor at room temperature. The remanent polarization (P _r) and coercive electric field (E _c) of the measured PZT thin films are 47.7 μC/cm² and 18 kV/cm, respectively. The relative dielectric constant ε _r and the dissipation factor tgδ of the PZT thin films were measured with an LCR meter and were found to be 158 and 0.04–0.005, respectively. Translated from “Preparation and Characterization of PZT Films Fabricated on Si Substrates” published in Chinese Journal of Semiconductors, 2004, 25(4): 404–409 (in Chinese)     

A comparative study of tunable Ba1−x Sr x TiO3 thin film capacitors prepared by rf-sputtering and liquid-phase deposition

Abstract

Ba_1?x Sr _x TiO₃ thin film capacitors have been successfully prepared using rf-sputtering and a metal organic deposition (MOD) method. The structure, microstructure and composition of the BSTO films are presented. Films grown on lanthanum aluminate LAO(100) showed c-axis preferred growth orientation. Broad paraelectric-to-ferroelectric transitions were observed in films prepared by both methods. The tunability of the capacitance by means of an appplied electric field is examined using various capacitor geometries. A decrease in the capacitance exceeding 75% at 77 K was obtained from the MOD deposited films under an electric field strength of 0.3 MV/cm. On the other hand, the tunability of the capacitance in the rf-sputtered films ranged from 5 to 10% at 77 K and at 20 kV/cm, while it exceeds 50% in some films. The results are compared with the predictions of Devonshire's phenomenological theory.     

Difference in microstructure between PZT thin films on Pt/Ti and those on Pt

Abstract

PZT thin films were synthesized by sol-gel on a Pt/Ti double layer bottom electrode or on a Pt single layer bottom electrode to investigate the bottom electrode dependence of PZT film structure. On Pt/Ti, <111> oriented perovskite grains with 50–100 nm lateral size were densely packed. On Pt, large perovskite grains (2?3 μm) were surrounded by fine pyrochlore grains (about 5 nm), and no certain orientation was observed. TEM and EDX analyses suggested that a fraction of Ti in the Pt/Ti layer diffused along Pt grain boundaries up to the Pt surface and was oxidized during the PZT annealing process. A model for the crystallization of sol-gel derived PZT was proposed, in which TiOx particles at the Pt surface act as nucleation sites for PZT crystallization. This model well explained the experimental results.