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Microstructural and Compositional Analysis of Strontium-Doped Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films on Gold-Coated Silicon Substrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2009

S. Sriram ,
M. Bhaskaran ,
D.R.G. Mitchell ,
K.T. Short ,
A.S. Holland  and
A. Mitchell
S. Sriram*
Affiliation:
Microelectronics and Materials Technology Centre, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
M. Bhaskaran
Affiliation:
Microelectronics and Materials Technology Centre, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
D.R.G. Mitchell
Affiliation:
Institute of Materials Engineering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), PMB 1, Menai, New South Wales 2234, Australia
K.T. Short
Affiliation:
Institute of Materials Engineering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), PMB 1, Menai, New South Wales 2234, Australia
A.S. Holland
Affiliation:
Microelectronics and Materials Technology Centre, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
A. Mitchell
Affiliation:
Microelectronics and Materials Technology Centre, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: sharath.sriram@gmail.com
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Abstract

This article discusses the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based characterization of strontium-doped lead zirconate titanate (PSZT) thin films. The thin films were deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at 300°C on gold-coated silicon substrates, which used a 15 nm titanium adhesion layer between the 150 nm thick gold film and (100) silicon. The TEM analysis was carried out using a combination of high-resolution imaging, energy filtered imaging, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and hollow cone illumination. At the interface between the PSZT films and gold, an amorphous silicon-rich layer (about 4 nm thick) was observed, with the film composition remaining uniform otherwise. The films were found to be polycrystalline with a columnar structure perpendicular to the substrate. Interdiffusion between the bottom metal layers and silicon was observed and was confirmed using secondary ion mass spectrometry. This occurs due to the temperature of deposition (300°C) being close to the eutectic point of gold and silicon (363°C). The diffused regions in silicon were composed primarily of gold (analyzed by EDX) and were bounded by (111) silicon planes, highlighted by the triangular diffused regions observed in the two-dimensional TEM image.

Keywords

strontium-doped PZT thin filmsTEMSIMSinterdiffusion
Type
Materials Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , February 2009 , pp. 30 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2009

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References

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