Tunable dielectric thin films by aqueous, inorganic solution-based processing

Sub-micron, nanolaminated, dielectric thin films comprised of amorphous aluminum oxide phosphate (AlPO) and hafnium oxide sulfate (HafSOx) layers were fabricated in open-air conditions from aqueous inorganic precursors by spin coating with minimal thermal processing. These nanolaminated thin film insulators display an averaging effect of effective dielectric permittivity in devices with controlled AlPO:HafSOx thickness ratios, enabling tunable dielectric properties. X-ray reflectivity measurements were used to characterize film thickness, smoothness, and uniformity. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze final nanolaminated devices. Electrical characterization of metal-insulator-insulator-metal capacitors revealed tunable relative dielectric constants ranging from approximately 5–10 with loss tangents less than 2% at 10 kHz in devices with approximately 300 nm total dielectric thickness. The results suggest a simple, inexpensive processing approach for fabricating devices that require insulating layers with specific dielectric properties.

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► A novel, simple approach to preparing inorganic thin films with tunable dielectric permittivity.
► Facile open-air deposition of multi-component inorganic nanolaminates by spin coating aqueous precursor.
► Film thickness shows a linear dependence on number of deposited layers.
► Effective dielectric permittivity is described by simple series capacitance model.