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Low-Thermal-Budget Solution Processing of Thin Films of Zinc Ferrite and Other Complex Oxides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2012

Ranajit Sai ,
Suresh D. Kulkarni ,
K. J. Vinoy ,
Navakanta Bhat  and
S. A. Shivashankar
Ranajit Sai
Affiliation:
Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
Suresh D. Kulkarni
Affiliation:
Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
K. J. Vinoy
Affiliation:
Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
Navakanta Bhat
Affiliation:
Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
S. A. Shivashankar
Affiliation:
Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
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Abstract

Further miniaturization of magnetic and electronic devices demands thin films of advanced nanomaterials with unique properties. Spinel ferrites have been studied extensively owing to their interesting magnetic and electrical properties coupled with stability against oxidation. Being an important ferrospinel, zinc ferrite has wide applications in the biological (MRI) and electronics (RF-CMOS) arenas. The performance of an oxide like ZnFe2O4 depends on stoichiometry (defect structure), and technological applications require thin films of high density, low porosity and controlled microstructure, which depend on the preparation process. While there are many methods for the synthesis of polycrystalline ZnFe2O4 powder, few methods exist for the deposition of its thin films, where prolonged processing at elevated temperature is not required. We report a novel, microwave-assisted, low temperature (<100°C) deposition process that is conducted in the liquid medium, developed for obtaining high quality, polycrystalline ZnFe2O4 thin films on technologically important substrates like Si(100). An environment-friendly solvent (ethanol) and non-hazardous oxide precursors (β-diketonates of Zn and Fe in 1:2 molar ratio), forming a solution together, is subjected to irradiation in a domestic microwave oven (2.45 GHz) for a few minutes, leading to reactions which result in the deposition of ZnFe2O4 films on Si (100) substrates suspended in the solution. Selected surfactants added to the reactant solution in optimum concentration can be used to control film microstructure. The nominal temperature of the irradiated solution, i.e., film deposition temperature, seldom exceeds 100°C, thus sharply lowering the thermal budget. Surface roughness and uniformity of large area depositions (50x50 mm2) are controlled by tweaking the concentration of the mother solution. Thickness of the films thus grown on Si (100) within 5 min of microwave irradiation can be as high as several microns. The present process, not requiring a vacuum system, carries a very low thermal budget and, together with a proper choice of solvents, is compatible with CMOS integration. This novel solution-based process for depositing highly resistive, adherent, smooth ferrimagnetic films on Si (100) is promising to RF engineers for the fabrication of passive circuit components. It is readily extended to a wide variety of functional oxide films.

Keywords

filmsolution depositionmicrowave heating
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1400: Symposium S – Solution Processing of Inorganic and Hybrid Materials for Electronics and Photonics , 2012 , mrsf11-1400-s06-20
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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