Solution-based synthesis of oxide thin films via a layer-by-layer deposition method: Feasibility and a phenomenological film growth model

The feasibility and kinetics of a generic layer-by-layer thin film deposition method are investigated using Y2O3-doped ZrO2, pure ZrO2, and Gd2O3-doped CeO2 as model systems. Uniform nanocrystalline films have been made via dipping substrates alternately in cationic and anionic precursor solutions. The effects of several key processing parameters, including the number of deposition cycles, cationic concentration, dipping speed, and holding/immersing time, have been investigated. Growth rates of ∼ 4–12 nm per deposition cycle for as-deposited films (i.e., ∼ 2–6 nm/cycle for annealed films), tunable via varying the key deposition parameters, have been demonstrated.