Electrical properties of solution processed multilayer high-k ZrO2 capacitors in inert atmosphere

• Solution processed multilayer high-k ZrO2 capacitors were analyzed.
• The film thickness was measured via white light interferometry and SEM.
• The permittivity of the ZrO2 films was found to be 14.8 by impedance measurements.
• The electrical performance was found to be independent of precursor concentration.
• The electrical performance was found to be independent of the number of layers.

The solution deposition of ZrO2 thin films from a single-source precursor with oximato ligands allowed the deposition of very uniform and homogenous films. Variation of the film thickness by either employing higher precursor concentrations or the succeeding deposition of multiple layers did not lead to any observable changes in the film morphology. Measurements were carried out using scanning electron microscopy as well as white light interferometry. Detailed investigations of the electrical properties by impedance spectroscopy of capacitors revealed that the relative permittivity is not affected by the processing procedure. No influence of the particular thickness and the number of the individual layers in a stack could be determined. In all cases, the dielectric constant of the amorphous ZrO2 had a value ~ 14.8, as extracted from the impedance at 10 kHz. The method seems attractive for the application in printed electronics as it is robust against changes in the deposition conditions.