Electrical Properties of Sol-Gel Processed Amorphous BaTiO3 Thin Films

BaTiO₃ thin films were prepared on single crystal silicon (1 0 0) and platinum substrates by sol-gel technique. Amorphous films with thickness uniformity were obtained by spinning the solution at 3000 rpm for 30 s and by post-deposition annealing at 400°C. The films exhibited good dielectric and insulating properties. The dielectric constant and dissipation factor at a frequency of 100 kHz were 17 and 0.20, respectively, for 1400 Å thick film on platinum substrate (MIM). The corresponding values were 16 and 0.015 for films on Si (MIS). Dielectric properties were also studied as functions of frequency and voltage. The C-V curve for MIS structure exhibited a hysteresis. The density of interface states recharged during the bias cycle in hysteresis measurement was estimated to be of the order of 2.10 × 10¹¹ cm^–2 and total oxide charge density was about 4.28 × 10¹¹ cm^–2. I-V measurements were performed on films of different thicknesses. The leakage current densities at 5 V for the films having thicknesses 1400 and 2800 Å were 0.86 and 0.11 A/cm² respectively. The conduction mechanism is found to be Poole-Frenkel and Schottky mechanisms at low and high fields, respectively.     

Concentrated electrolyte solutions at high temperatures and pressures

A survey is given of recent experimental results obtained from high-temperature, high-pressure investigations with water, aqueous solutions, and ionic fluids. Data on the static dielectric constant of water to 550°C and 5 kbar are given and discussed with respect to their relation to water structure. Infrared and Raman spectra of HDO in pure water have been obtained to 400°C and 4 kbar, which give information on hydrogen bonding. Xe–H₂O and CO₂–H₂O mixtures were investigated in the infrared. Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes were investigated by absorption spectroscopy in aqueous solutions of high chloride content to 350°C and 2–6 kbar. The gas-liquid critical point of ammonium chloride was found at 880°C and 1635 bars. This fluid appears to be predominantly ionic even in the critical region. The possibility of converting pure polar fluids such as ammonia and water into concentrated ionic solutions by self-ionization at very high pressures is mentioned.This paper was presented at the symposium, The Physical Chemistry of Aqueous Systems, held at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 12–14, 1972, in honor of the 70th birthday of Professor H. S. Frank.     

Analysis of Low-k Organosilicon and Low-Density Silica Films Deposited in HMDSO Plasmas

Low-dielectric constant (low-k) films have been prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO). The films are analyzed by ellipsometry, infrared absorption spectroscopy while their electrical properties are deduced from C–V and I–V measurements performed on metal/insulator/silicon structures. First, it is shown that the carbon-containing silicon oxide films deposited in HMDSO and HMDSO/Ar plasmas have a dielectric constant equal to 3.0 ± 0.1 and are thermally stable at 400°C. The leakage current densities measured for an electric field of 1 MV/cm are less than 10^–9 A/cm² and the breakdown fields are in the range of 6–7 MV/cm. Then, a low-density silica film was obtained by exposing a film deposited in an HMDSO plasma to an O₂ plasma. The dielectric constant of this low-density silica film is 3.5 and its breakdown field is close to 6 MV/cm.     

Small angle X-ray and dielectric data of soybean-phosphatidylcholine Phospholipon® 100

Soybean-Phosphatidylcholine Phospholipon^® 100 has a stable gel conformation in the as-prepared state. We observed a main phase transition (chain melting) above 30 °C in the first heating run. This transition is marked 1. by a change of the lamellar repeat distance recorded by small angle X-ray diffraction, and 2. by an increase of the imaginary part of the dielectric constant. After the first heating up to + 90 °C the chains melt in a broad temperature range between –60 °C and +90 °C. The high stability of chain conformation in the temperature range –60 °C to +30 °C of the as-prepared state is due to the low water content of the material.     

Ferroelectric Thin Films of Bismuth Strontium Tantalate Prepared by Alkoxide Route

Study of the interactions in Bi(OR)3-Ta(OR)5-ROH (R = Me, Et, iPr) at 20°C show that metal ethoxides are the best of the investigated precursors for the production of bismuth tantalates via alkoxides. Polycrystalline SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBTO) and BiTaO4 films on Si-SiO2-Ti-Pt substrates with thicknesses of 0.4–0.5 m and 0.4 m, respectively, have been formed by sol-gel processing. The most stable solutions for film application were obtained by using mixed-metal Bi-Ta ethoxides and solutions of Sr carboxylate (2-ethylhexanoic acid derivative) in 2-ethylhexanoic acid. Films annealed at 700–750°C for 30 min were single-phased. SBTO films demonstrated good ferroelectric properties: remanent polarization ranged from 3.5 to 4.0 C/cm2 and coercive voltage 1.5–2.0 V, whereas BiTaO4 films showed dielectric behavior.     

SrBi2Nb2O9 Ferroelectric Powders and Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel

Pure SrBi2Nb2O9 powders and thin films were obtained using sol-gel synthesis from mixtures of niobium ethoxide, bismuth and strontium 2-ethylhexanoates. Powders crystallized for 2 hours at 700°C had grain sizes of about 100–150 nm. SrBi2Nb2O9 thin films were prepared by spin-coating a stable precursor solution onto Si/SiO2/TiO2/Pt substrates. Crystallization of pure SrBi2Nb2O9 phase occurred at about 500–550°C. Randomly oriented 0.3 m-thick crack-free films were obtained after 10 successive depositions and heating at 700°C for 2 hours. P-E hysteresis loops have confirmed the ferroelectric behavior of the films: they show a remanent polarization of 2.5 C/cm2 (5 V, 8 ms). No fatigue was observed up to 109 full switchings.     

Preparation of Silica-Silk Fibroin-Polyurethane Composite Films via a Sol-Gel Route

A tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)-derived sol aged for 0 h–6 h at room temperature was mixed with a polyurethane (PU) matrix. A composite of silk fibroin (SF) powders and acrylamide (AAm) was dispersed in the sol-PU mixture and dried isothermally at temperatures between 25°C and 120°C to obtain composite films. Three competitive reactions take place, i.e., those between silica-silica, SF-PU and silica-organic phases, during formation of the composite films. These reactions determine the properties such as morphology and homogeneity of the composite films. IR absorption bands for amide groups (–CONH–), C=O (amide I, 1730 cm^–1) and N–H (amide II, 1530 cm^–1) become larger with decreasing aging time of TEOS-derived sol, or increasing drying temperature. DTA exothermic peak due to the thermal decomposition of SF-AAm composite, on the composite films prepared from the 0 h-aged sol or dried at more than 50°C, shifts toward higher temperature by 44 K or more than 63 K respectively, as compared to the SF-AAm composite. Shorter aging time of TEOS-derived sol and higher drying temperature increased the extent of dispersibility, among SF-AAm composite, PU and silica, to bring a composite film more homogeneous.     

Conductance behavior of 1∶1 electrolytes in N,N-dimethylmethanesulfonamide

The conductances of eleven 1:1 salts have been measured at 50°C in N,N-dimethylmethanesulfonamide (DMMSA) for electrolyte concentrations of 1.2–55.0×10^–4 mol-dm^–3. The conductance data were analyzed using the equation of Lee and Wheaton. Calculations for different values of the distance parameter R indicate that all salts studied are only slightly associated in DMMSA. Association was somewhat greater for the trimethylphenylammonium halides than for the tetraalkylammonium salts. Ionic limiting molar conductances were estimated using the tris (isopentyl) butylammonium tetraphenylborate approximation. The markedly smaller value for _o (Na⁺) compared to the values for _o (Br^–) and _o (I^–) indicates that the sodium ion is probably more extensively solvated than the halide ion. In general, it appears that DMMSA (dielectric constant=80.31 at 50°C) is similar in its solvent properties to dipolar aprotic heterocyclic solvents such as 2-cyanopyridine and 3-methyl-2-oxazolidone which have similar dielectric constants.     

Sol-gel processing and properties of cerium doped Barium Strontium Titanate thin films

A stock solution sol-gel based method for making Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) thin films has been developed. A modified titanium alkoxide was combined with a barium and/or strontium inorganic salt in methoxyethanol and ethylene glycol to form the solution. The effect of chemistry on the stability of this BST solution is discussed. The crystallization temperature of 700–725°C for rapid thermally processed films dropped by 100°C using cerium doping. The permittivity for undoped films was 250 and doping by 3 at. % Ce increased the dielectric constant by 20%. A remanent polarization of approximately 0.5 C/cm² and coercive field of 28 kV/cm were measured for the undoped films. The leakage current densities were <10 nA/cm² at E=60 kV/cm and improved for cerium concentrations up to 3 at. %. The charge storage density was 50 fF/m² at 200 kV/cm and the DC breakdown voltage was 300 kV/cm for Ce doped films.     

Role of Water on Fast Proton Conduction in Sol-Gel Glasses

Fast proton-conducting P2O5-ZrO2-SiO2 glasses were prepared by sol-gel processing of metal alkoxides. Glasses heated to 150 to 400°C exhibited room temperature conductivities of 10–4 S/cm, larger by 2 order of magnitude than that of as-prepared gel, 3 × 10–7 S/cm at 30°C. The conductivity increased quadratically with the increasing product of proton and molecular water concentration. These high conductivities were regarded as fast proton transfer accelerated by molecular water bonded with the hydroxyl groups.     

Effect of Niobium Modifications to PZT (53/47) Thin Films Made by a Sol-Gel Route

Niobium-modified lead zirconate titanate thin films (PNZT) with nominal compositions, Pb_(1–0.5x) (Zr_0.53 Ti_0.47)_1–x Nb _x O₃:x = 0.02–0.07, have been prepared using a diol based sol-gel route. Single-layer (0.5 m) films were fabricated on platinised silicon substrates by spin-coating. The effect of niobium additions with regard to phase development, microstructure, and ferroelectric and dielectric properties were investigated for different annealing temperatures. For comparison, unmodified PZT films were also prepared. Niobium substitution increased the crystallisation temperatures for perovskite PNZT phase formation. The values of remanent polarisation P _r and dielectric constant _r were found to decrease with the introduction of Nb. For example, in films heated at 700°C for 15 min, the P _r value of an unmodified PZT film was 31 C cm^–2, compared to 17 C cm^–2 for an x = 0.05 PNZT film, whilst respective relative permittivity values fell from 1190 to 600. The highest Nb concentration film, x = 0.07, did not display any switchable polarisation characteristics, which is consistent with high levels of intermediate pyrochlore phase.     

Electrical conductivity measurements of aqueous sodium chloride solutions to 600°C and 300 MPa

Electrical conductance measurements of dilute (<0.1>^–1) aqueous NaCl solutions were made primarily to quantify the degree of ion association which increases with increasing temperature and decreasing solvent density. These measurements were carried out at temperatures from 100 to 600°C and pressures up to 300 MPa with a modified version of the apparatus used previously in the high temperature study in this laboratory. Particular emphasis was placed on conditions close to the critical temperaturelpressure region of water, i.e., at 5° intervals from 370 to 400°C. The results verify previous findings that the limiting equivalent conductance A_o of NaCl increases linearly with decreasing density from 0.75 to 0.3 g-cm^–1 and also with increasing temperature from 100 to 350°C. Above 350°C. A_o is virtually temperature independent. The logarithm of the molal association constant as calculated exclusively from the data400°C is represented as a function of temperature (Kelvin) and the logarithm of the density of water (g-cm^–3) as follows:

Studies on recrystallised aluminium trihydroxide precipitates: The energetics of dissolution by sodium hydroxide solutions

Summary Aluminium hydroxide gels were recrystallised in high pH solution for 2–1000 hr to give a series of gibbsite powders of different surface areas, 1`11/2, P11/8, P11/48, P11/360 and P11/X; their average platelet lengths were 30, 60, 130, 260 and 450 nm. The dissolution equilibria of these powders in sodium hydroxide solutions of C=1-8 M were studied at 20° to 80°C.The equilibrium constants (for formation of diaquo-tetrahydroxoaluminate anion) increased with temperature and with increasing surface area; the K value for P11/2 was about four times that of P 11/X at 20 °C and about three times (that for P 11/X) at 80 °C. The dissolutions were endothermic; however, the value over this temperature range increased from –29.5 kJ mol<sup>–1</sup> (for P11/X) to –24.7 kJ (for P 11/2). This increase was related to the appreciable surface energies of the high surface-area materials.The (– G°) values increased with increasing temperature and in turn with increasing surface area; the (– G°) values for 1`11/2 dissolution at any temperature were about 4 kJ mol^–1 higher than those for P11/X dissolution.With 1 figure and 1 table     

Polarization and ESR studies of thermally pretreated γ-irradiated TiO2

Pellets of TiO₂ thermally pretreated at 450 and 540°C and -irradiated were polarized by d. c. field. The depolarization curves were resolved into different first order components having two and three depolarization constants. By heating the polarized pellets the Current Glow Peak curves were recorded where there were only two peaks around 65 and 400°C in case of pellets heated at 450°C and heated at 540°C and irradiated; and one more additional peak around 20°C in case of pellets heated at 540°C and heated at 450°C and irradiated thereon. In addition to those signals of O ₂ ^– and Ti³⁺ reported earlier there were distinctly four more, signals at g 1.933 and g 2.03, 2.036 and 2.043 appeared in case of samples heated at 540°C and heated at 450°C and irradiated thereon. The signal at g1.933 is attributed to Ti³⁺ ions in new phase Ti₄O₇ developed in heating at 540°C or due to irradiation and the rest of the signals are due to O _2ad ^– or O _ad ^– over the new phase near anion vacancy created.     

Ionic conduction of a high-temperature modification of Lu<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

A nanoceramic product of the composition Lu₂Ti₂O₇ is synthesized by a coprecipitation method with a subsequent sublimation drying and an annealing at 650–1650°C. The conduction of Lu₂Ti₂O₇ synthesized at 1650°C is ionic (10^–3 S cm^–1 at 800°C). Thus, a new material with a high ionic conduction has been discovered. The ordering in Lu₂Ti₂O₇ is studied by methods of RFA, RSA, IK spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and impedance spectroscopy. The existence of a low-temperature phase transition fluorite-pyrochlore at 800°C and a high-temperature conversion order-disorder at 1650°C are established.Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2005, pp. 298–303.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Shlyakhtina, Ukshe, Shcherbakova.     

Structural Changes in Sol-Gel Derived SiO2 and TiO2 Films by Exposure to Water Vapor

Structural changes in sol-gel derived thin films by exposure to water vapor were investigated using Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy, ellipsometry and x-ray diffraction. We found that SiO₂ gel films were densified with a decrease in OH groups by the exposure at 60°–180°C. The shrinkage and the peak frequency of ₄ (TO) for the exposed films were comparable to those heated in a dry atmosphere at temperatures above 500°C. However, OH groups in the films were not completely removed by the water exposure. A subsequent annealing above 300°C changed the structure of the water-exposed SiO₂ films with condensation of the remaining OH groups. Although the exposed SiO₂ gel films were amorphous, TiO₂ gel films were transformed to anatase with a decrease in OH groups by the treatments at 80°–180°C.     

Preparation of 16-substituted 3-hydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-triene-17-ones starting with the bromination of estrone acetate

The bromination of estrone acetate (Ia) leads to a mixture of acetates of 16-bromo-16-bromo-, and 16,16-dibromoestrone (IIa, IIIa, and IVa) in a ratio of 63:28:9. On treatment with an aqueous methanolic solution of potash, depending on the conditions, a mixture of (IIa) and (IIIa) gives 3,16-dihydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-one (V) or 3,17-dihydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-16-one (VI). When 5 g of (Ia) was brominated with 2.8 g of Br₂ in chloroform and the products were chromatographed on silica gel, 0.36 g of (IVa), C₂₀H₂₂Br₂O₃, mp 165–166°C (from ether) 0.37 g of (IIIa), mp 169–170.5°C, 4.6 g of a mixture of (IIa) and (IIIa), 30 mg of (Ia) and 0.2 g of a mixture of 16- and 16-bromoestrones was obtained. The action of potash on a mixture of (IIa) and (IIIa) in aqueous MeOH at 20°C led to the epimerization of the (IIa) into (IIIa) and then the conversion of the latter into (V) with mp 203.5–206°C; diacetate with mp 172–173°C (acetone-ethanol). Similarly, but with heating (98°C, 3 h), a mixture of (IIa) and (IIIa) was converted into (VI), with mp 234–236°C. Characteristics of the IR and PMR spectra of the compounds obtained are given.S. Ordzhonikidze All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Moscow. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 465–469, July–August, 1983.     

Preparation and Characterization of TiO2 Thin Films by Sol-Gel Method

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films have been deposited on silicon and glass substrates by the sol-gel process using titanium iso-propoxide [Ti(O-i-C₃H₇)₄]. The bond configuration of the TiO₂ thin films was analyzed by using FTIR in the wavenumber range from 400 to 4000 cm^–1. The spectral transmittance of as-deposited TiO₂ films deposited on fused silica glass was measured in the wavelength range from 200 to 900 nm. X-ray diffraction measurements were performed to determine the crystallinity of the TiO₂ films. As-deposited films were amorphous. As the film was annealed at higher temperature, the structure was transformed from amorphous to the anatase crystalline state. The chemical composition of the deposited film was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The films are essentially stoichiometric with carbon as the dominant impurity on the surface. Raman spectra show the characteristic of TiO₂ anatase phase. The electrical properties of the TiO₂ films were measured using capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage techniques. From C-V measurements, the dielectric constants were calculated to be approximately 26 for the as-deposited films and 75–82 for films annealed at 700°C in different atmosphere. For the as-deposited samples, the breakdown voltage was 2.7 MV/cm, and for an electric field of 1 MV/cm, the leakage current was 5 × 10^–5 A/cm² and the resistivity was 2.2 × 10¹⁰ -cm.     

Thermodynamics of the dissociation of Bis H+ in seawater from 5 to 40°C

Electromotive-force measurements of cells without transference were used to determine the dissociation constant of the protonated form of the weak base 2-amino-2-methyl-1, 3-propanediol (Bis) in synthetic seawaters corresponding to salinities of 20, 35, and 45. Hydrogen electrodes and silver-silver chloride electrodes were used, together with standard potentials determined in an earlier investigation. The pK increases in linear fashion with the salinity (S) of the medium, for values of S from 0 to 45. The solvent effect is given by 8.802+0.00378S at 25°C with a mean deviation of 0.001. The medium effect of seawater on H° at 25°C is less than 200 cal-mol^–1 and less than 0.2 cal-^oK-mol^–1 on S°.     

Neo-Pentoxide Precursor Synthesis,Solution Preparation,and Electronic Properties of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 Thin Films Derived from a Solution Route

We have recently isolated the neo-pentoxide (HOCH₂CMe₃, ONp) derivatives of Ba, Sr, and Ti as Ba₄(ONp)₈(HONp)₆(py)₂, Sr₅(O)(ONp)₈(Solv)₅ (Solv = solvent), and Ti₂(ONp)₈, respectively. The combination of these precursors were found to be readily soluble in a wide range of solvents and thus were excellent candidates for preparation of barium strontium titanate ((Ba,Sr)TiO₃ or BST) thin films using spin-cast deposition techniques. The highest quality BST films for this system were generated from ternary mixtures dissolved in either pyridine or pyridine/toluene. By in situ VT-GIXRD analysis it was determined that the perovskite phase of BST was readily formed at 650°C. The electronic properties of films crystallized at 700°C indicated that the thin films (300 nm) possessed a dielectric constant of 120 (tan = 0.03) with a tunability of 29% at ±10 V. 300 nm films (700°C) which had been generated from a standard BST solution modified with a novel tridentate ligand, had a higher dielectric constant of 180 and a tunability of 35% at ±10 V. The collective characteristics of these precursors offer an attractive alternative to the more complex, less stable sol-gel precursors currently in use.