Chapter 7 - Sol-gel, modified sol-gel, and metallo-organic decomposition techniques for complex oxide films: Materials processing and applications

Abstract

This chapter discusses the processing of thin oxide films via sol–gel, modified sol–gel, and metallo-organic decomposition (MOD). The special feature of sol–gel, modified sol–gel, and MOD processes is their low temperature depositions, which show more than 500 ºC lower processing temperatures than the conventional ceramic sintering techniques and thus offer the compatibility of ceramic materials with substrates such as glass, glass-ceramic, and ceramic as well as silicon. The processing of thin films is relevant for microelectronic applications. These films include conductive oxides such as RuOx and dielectric thin films. Various types of precursor systems developed worldwide have been reported together with the growth of thin films and their typical performance. Dielectric films are developed for applications of thin film miniaturized capacitors, multifunctional modules, or ferroelectric nonvolatile memories. The relevance of these techniques for electroceramic films is demonstrated in the chapter in addition to the growth of thin films via different routes.