Fabrication of highly c-axis textured ZnO thin films piezoelectric transducers by RF sputtering

Abstract

The influence of fabrication parameters on ZnO film properties has been analyzed through conducting several experiment processes to develop an appropriate deposition condition for obtaining highly c-axis textured films. A transducer with the structure of Al/ZnO/Al/Si was fabricated at low deposition rate and under a temperature of 380 °C in a mixture of gases Ar:O2 = 1:3, and RF power of 178 W. Pt/Ti was employed as the bottom electrode of the transducer fabricated in a suitable substrate temperature, which starts increasing at 380 °C with an increment of 20 °C for each 2 h stage of the deposition. Highly c-axis textured ZnO films have been successfully deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate under feasible conditions, including RF power of 178 W, substrate temperature of 380 °C, deposition pressure of 1.3 Pa and Ar:O2 gas flow ratio of 50%. These conditions have been proposed and confirmed through investigating the influences of the sputtering parameters, such as substrate temperature, RF power and Ar:O2 gas flow ratio, on the properties of ZnO films.