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Use of the solvent chemistry for the control of the critical thickness of PbTiO3 ultrathin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Roberto Fernández ,
Susana Holgado ,
Zhaorong Huang ,
Maria L. Calzada  and
Jesús Ricote
Roberto Fernández
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
Susana Holgado
Affiliation:
Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
Zhaorong Huang
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
Jesús Ricote*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The preparation of high-quality ferroelectric PbTiO3-based ultrathin films by chemical solution deposition, using a diol-based sol-gel method, has proved to be successful. However, there is a critical thickness below which the films break up into isolated structures. According to previous studies, above a certain grain size to thickness ratio a microstructural instability occurs and the coatings are no longer continuous. We explore the use of the solvent chemistry to control this phenomenon, as an alternative to the more conventional variation of the crystallization parameters. The use of diols with short C chain lengths leads to films with smaller grain sizes, whose critical thicknesses are lower. A reduction from 40 to 15 nm is achieved by reducing the number of C of the diol used from 5 to 2. A critical value of G/t < 5.0 is necessary to obtain continuous ultrathin films with the processing conditions used.

Keywords

FerroelectricSolution depositionFilm
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , May 2010 , pp. 890 - 898
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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