Microcontact Printed BaTiO sub(3) and LaNiO sub(3) Thin Films for Capacitors

• Published in: Journal of the American Ceramic Society Vol. 89; no. 9; pp. 2816 - 2821
• Main Authors: Nagata, Hajime, Ko, Song Won, Hong, Eunki, Randall, Clive A, Trolier-McKinstry, Susan, Pinceloup, Pascal, Skamser, Daniel, Randall, Michael, Tajuddin, Azizuddin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.2006
• Subjects: Barium titanates; Capacitors; Ceramics; Dielectric constant; Dielectrics; Electrodes; Multilayers; Thin films
• ISSN: 0002-7820; 1551-2916
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2006.01137.x

There is an ongoing need to develop new technologies to enable further down-scaling of layer thicknesses in multilayer ceramic devices, for example, in multilayer capacitors (MLC). Microcontact printing of chemical solutions of both the dielectric and electrode layers was explored as an economical means of preparing patterned thin films for MLC without requiring photolithography. For this purpose, methanol-acetic acid-based BaTiO sub(3) solutions were spun onto polydimethylsiloxane stamps, printed onto substrates, pyrolyzed, and crystallized. LaNiO sub(3) was used as a prototype electrode that could also be microcontact printed. The line edge roughness produced this way was on the order of a tenth of a micrometer, which should enable very small margins. The printed layer thickness was also very uniform. Microcontact printed capacitors with a single dielectric layer were fabricated and found to have dielectric constants >800 with loss tangents <2%. Alignment between subsequent layers is readily achieved. Multilayer dielectric-electrode stacks could be fabricated without cracking or delaminations. Consequently, microcontact printing appears to be a viable potential means of preparing MLC with layer thicknesses in the range of ,0.2 km.