Binary and complex oxide thin films for microelectronic applications: An insight into their growth and advanced nanoscopic investigation

Innovative dielectric materials are of increasing interest in several microelectronic devices. Here, an overview
of different MOCVD approaches to fabricate binary and complex oxide thin films with dielectric properties is
presented. The growth of three types of oxide thin films, namely Pr2O3, NiO and CaCu3Ti4O12, has been
discussed. In particular the growth of Pr2O3 films has been optimized on (001) Si substrates for CMOS applications.
In this case, because of the wide numbers of possible Pr-oxide phases, an accurate control of oxygen
partial pressure was mandatory. NiO thin films have been grown on (0001)SiC and (0001)AlGaN/GaN wide
bandgap semiconductors. The appropriate conditions for the epitaxial growth have been found in order to
improve the quality of the interface. Finally, complex oxide CaCu3Ti4O12 thin films have been grown on single
crystal perovskite substrates as well as on technological electrodes to be applied in wireless and Rf circuits.
An appealing approach based on the use of a multicomponent precursor source has been optimized and
both epitaxial and polycrystalline films have been deposited.
In all cases, special emphasis has been placed upon the importance of suitable precursors, deposition parameters
and interfacial characterization. In addition, dielectric properties have been correlated to structural and
compositional characteristics by scanning probe microscopy with conductive tips, which has been used to
image defects inside the grains or heterogeneities at the grain boundaries.