High-temperature Annealing Step Research Articles

Durability of Pt-Co Alloy Cathode Catalysts for PEM Fuel Cells Under Cyclic Potentials

Alloying Pt with transition metals, such as Co and Ni, enhances the catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at cathodes of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). The alloying process necessarily involves a high-temperature thermal annealing step that grows the size of catalyst nanoparticles above 4-5 nm. Particles of this size are known to be more stable under cyclic potentials as they are less prone to Pt dissolution and coalescence than finer scale 2-3 nm Pt particles. However, transition metals are unstable at operating fuel cell potentials and can leach out of the catalyst in the cathode and into the ionomer, resulting in loss of ORR activity. Three formulations of Pt-Co alloy catalysts supported on high surface area carbon were subjected to accelerated stress tests (ASTs) in H2-N2 environment. The AST protocol consisted of repeated square waves with 0.6 V lower potential limit (LPL), 0.95 V upper potential limit (UPL), and 3-s holds at LPL and UPL. Changes in cell performance were monitored by measuring polarization in H2-air, high frequency resistance (HFR), electrochemical surface area (ECSA), impedance in air and helox (79% He, 21% O2), and mass activity. These measurements were made at beginning of life (BOL) and after 1000 (1k), 20,000 (20k) and 30,000 (30k) cycles. The three catalysts had a different initial Co content (34%, 20%, and 15%) and electrode microstructure. At BOL, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the high-Co content (H) catalyst electrode, 0.2 mg/cm2 Pt loading, showed a “spongy” porous (hollow) catalyst nanoparticle morphology with ~6.7 nm median Pt-Co particle size after conditioning. The BOL medium-Co content (M) catalyst electrode, 0.1 mg/cm2 Pt loading, showed a crystalline fully alloyed catalyst nanparticle morphology with ~4.4 nm particle size after conditioning. The BOL low-Co content (L) catalyst electrode, 0.1 mg/cm2 Pt loading, also showed catalysts with a fully alloyed crystalline morphology with ~4.5 nm median particle size.Post-mortem TEM analysis of aged electrode specimens showed different amounts of Co dissolution from the nanoparticles. There is an apparent direct relationship between the initial alloy Co content the amount of Co dissolved after potential cycles. WAXS analysis confirms significant Co loss from the nanoparticles and also indicates that the Pt-Pt d-spacing in Pt-Co alloy approaches the values typical of pure Pt particles. The effect of Co dissolution on the loss in specific activity for ORR is summarized in Fig. 1a. The data suggest that the specific activity depends not only on the initial Co content but also on the catalyst nanoparticle morphology and size. Even with 27-50% Co loss, the specific activity of Pt-Co alloy remains higher than 1000 mA/cm2-Pt, and exceeds the activity (650 mA/cm2-Pt) of pure Pt of similar particle size. The measured specific activities are consistent with a kinetic model and catalyst-specific choice of kinetic parameters.The modeled ORR kinetic losses depend on specific activity, ECSA, catalyst loading, and kinetic parameters (electrode morphology). As shown in Fig. 1b, the H-catalyst electrode shows the smallest kinetic overpotentials (ηc s) due to high Pt loading, but has the fastest increase in ηc s with ageing because of low Co retention in the electrode. The L-catalyst electrode shows higher ηc s due to lower Pt loading but has a smaller increase in ηc s with ageing because of high Co retention. For this catalyst, increase in is mostly due to loss of ECSA with ageing. The M-catalyst electrode shows similar increase in ηc s with ageing as the L-catalyst electrode, but this increase is due to the combined effects of Co dissolution and ECSA loss. The modeled increase in mass transfer overpotentials (ηm) with ageing correlates with Pt loading and ECSA loss and depends on the initial electrode morphology. There is no clear evidence of a relationship between Co dissolution (i.e., effect of Co2+ on O2 permeability in ionomer film) and the resulting increase in ηm. AcknowledgmentsThe authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Fuel Cell Component R&D Team Lead, Dr. Dimitrios Papageorgopoulus, and Technology Development Manager, Dr. Nancy Garland. The authors also wish to acknowledge General Motors, IRD and Umicore for supplying materials used in this study. The submitted manuscript has been created by UChicago Argonne, LLC, Operator of Argonne National Laboratory (“Argonne”). Argonne, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, is operated under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. Figure 1

Improved Turn-On and Operating Voltages in AlGaN-Based Deep-Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes

While good ohmic contact formation has been achieved on both p-GaN and n-AlGaN surfaces, the turn-on and operating voltages of AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs) remain very high. We find that this critical problem is mainly caused by the large difference between the annealing temperatures required for ohmic contact formation on the p-GaN and high Al-fraction n-AlGaN surfaces. We studied the effects of the high-temperature annealing treatments required for n-ohmic contact formation on the subsequent p-ohmic contact formation process in DUV-LEDs. The results show that post-annealing treatment at high temperature is necessary to form an ohmic contact on n-Al0.7Ga0.3N, but a treatment temperature of 900°C or more could cause severe degradation of the specific contact resistivity and the bulk resistivity of p-GaN. We conclude that 900°C is the optimum temperature to form an ohmic contact on n-Al0.7Ga0.3N in DUV-LEDs, where p-GaN and n-Al0.7Ga0.3N act as the p- and n-ohmic contact layers, respectively. We also found that the specific contact resistivity of p-GaN can be reduced by an additional low-temperature annealing treatment after the high-temperature annealing step; this effect can be attributed to the enhancement of the hole concentration in the p-GaN surface contact region. Finally, DUV-LEDs that emit at 280 nm were fabricated using four different annealing treatments during processing. A considerable reduction in the series resistance and thereby in the operating voltage was confirmed using the annealing process proposed above, consisting of a high-temperature anneal at 900°C followed by a low-temperature anneal at 500°C for 3 min.

Extremely high negative electron affinity of diamond via magnesium adsorption

We report large negative electron affinity (NEA) on diamond (100) using magnesium adsorption on a previously oxygen-terminated surface. The measured NEA is up to $(\ensuremath{-}2.01\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05)$ eV, the largest reported negative electron affinity to date. Despite the expected close relationship between the surface chemistry of Mg and Li species on oxygen-terminated diamond, we observe differences in the adsorption properties between the two. Most importantly, a high-temperature annealing step is not required to activate the Mg-adsorbed surface to a state of negative electron affinity. Diamond surfaces prepared by this procedure continue to possess negative electron affinity after exposure to high temperatures, air, and even immersion in water.

Virtual Substrate Technology for Ge1-XSnX Heteroepitaxy on Si Substrates

The fabrication of GeSn layers is one of the worldwide current areas of research in material science. The driving force behind it, is the possibility to realize a group IV direct bandgap semiconductor. Theoretical calculations show values between 10 % for relaxed GeSn crystals and 6 % for tensile-strained GeSn crystals. However, only its synthesis on Si substrates is of interest for the photonic components applications. For the manufacture of GeSn based components on Si substrates, a specific Ge VS (virtual substrate) has to be first realized in order to overcome the large lattice mismatch (≥ 4.2 %). This method has been developed by Kasper et al. for SiGe heterostructures on Si and its here used to provide, without epitaxial break, the desired lattice constant for the grow of Sn based alloys. The use of such VS minimize the number of the threading dislocations as required for high performance optical devices.The significant progress made in recent years allowed the demonstration of GeSn based electro-optical components integrated on Si.A compressively strained heterostructure can by relaxed by various methods. These are, for example, special annealing steps, increasing the layer thickness over the critical thickness tcrit or by means of point defects introduced during low temperature growth. If a Ge or GeSn film is deposited directly on Si it relaxes very quickly since the critical thickness is only a few nanometer thick. At the same time the threading dislocation density is extremely high. An alternative is an ultra-thin Ge VS developed in the last few years. The threading dislocation density is significantly reduced by high temperature annealing steps close to the melting point of Ge. This technology is used here as a basis for GeSn structure growth.The optical properties of the GeSn layers with 2 % and 4 % Sn content are addressed via pin photodetectors fabrication (see Fig. 1). As a reference the GeSn pin detectors were manufactured without VS directly on Si. An overview of the layer structures are shown in figure 2.The strain statuses of the individual samples were analyzed by RSM (reciprocal space mapping). These show that the samples on Si are 100 % strain relaxed and the samples on Ge VS are still under 50 % rest compressive strain.The dark current of the individual samples are shown in the figure 3. The GeSn samples grown directly on Si show a much higher dark current due to the significantly higher threading dislocation densities compared to the samples on Ge-VS. At a bias of -1 V, the dark current is increased by more than one order of magnitude. In Figure 4, the optical responsivity of each sample is shown as a function of wavelength.

Advancements in Electroplated Co-Pt Thick Film Micromagnets

There are enormous opportunities to employ permanent magnets to establish strong magnetic fields or field gradients in microsystem applications such as microactuators, microsensors, biological cell manipulation, micro power generators, etc. [1]. These applications motivate the development of microfabrication methods to realize high-remanence, high-coercivity magnetic structures in a dimensional “gap” between traditional bulk materials (usually >1 mm) and thin films (usually <1 mm). In this work, we summarize advancements in electroplated Co-Pt alloys as candidate materials for wafer-level integration into magnetic microsystems. As a fabrication technology, electrodeposition offers advantages of speed, cost, and process integrability. Compared to other magnetic materials, Co-Pt alloys offer good energy density, high Curie temperature, and high corrosion-resistance. Specific attention is focused on the Co-rich composition (Co80Pt20) as well as the equiatomic composition (Co50Pt50) in the ordered L10phase, as shown in Figure 1. Electroplated Co80Pt20 affords hard magnetic properties in the as-deposited magnetic state, without the need for any high-temperature processing steps. The material exhibits an hcp structure with large magnetocrystalline anisotropy, and by careful selection of the seed layer, significant out-of-plane texture (perpendicular anisotropy) can be achieved. For example, we have shown films up to 18 mm thick with Hci = 330 kA/m (4 kOe), Br = 1.0 T, and BHmax = 130 kJ/m3(16 MGOe) [2]. One potential drawback of this material is high sensitivity to temperature [3].In contrast, L10 CoPt requires a high-temperature annealing step (~700°C) to induce a transformation from a disordered fcc atomic arrangement to an ordered L10 structure. This transformation results in strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy, but the material exhibits an overall isotropic behavior due to the random arrangement of the polycrystalline grains. For example, we have demonstrated 15-mm-thick photolithographically patterned magnets with Hci = 800 kA/m (10 kOe), Br = 0.8 T, and BHmax = 150 kJ/m3(19 MGOe) [4]. This talk will expound on the electrodeposition of these two alloys and the resultant magnetic properties. The usage of these films in example microsystem applications will also be presented.[1] O. Cugat, J. Delamare, and G. Reyne, “Magnetic micro-actuators and systems (MAGMAS),” IEEE Trans. Magn., 39, 3607-3612 (2003)[2] O. D. Oniku and D. P. Arnold, “Microfabrication of high-performance thick Co80Pt20 permanent magnets for microsystems applications,” ECS Trans., 50(10), 167-174 (2012)[3] A. Garraud, E. Shorman, O. D. Oniku, B. Qi, and D. P. Arnold, “Influence of temperature on the magnetic properties of electroplated Co-rich Co–Pt thick films,” J. Micromech. Microeng., 24(1), 017002 (2014)[4] O. D. Oniku, B. Qi, and D. P. Arnold, “Electroplated L10 CoPt thick-film permanent magnets,” J. Appl. Phys., 115(17), 17E521 (2014)

Photonic curing of sol–gel derived HfO2 dielectrics for organic field-effect transistors

An efficient way to reduce the supply voltages of organic field-effect transistors is the use of high-k inorganic materials. In order to allow high throughput during fabrication, solution-based processes for realizing inorganic dielectrics by using sol–gel procedures have become attractive in recent years. However, this procedure typically involves extended high-temperature annealing steps to achieve high-quality insulating layers which hampers fast fabrication and is incompatible to be carried out on low-temperature organic substrates. In this work, the use of a photonic curing technique is presented for the annealing of sol–gel derived hafnium oxide (HfO2) dielectrics within a few seconds. The investigations demonstrate the reduction of the leakage current density of more than 3 orders of magnitude after the photonic curing process reaching only slightly higher values as obtained with dielectric films formed from highly sophisticated atomic layer deposition. Moreover, capacitance measurements reveal a dielectric constant of 26 indicating bulk-like properties. Furthermore, organic transistors based on photonically cured HfO2 sol–gel dielectrics are fabricated and characterized operating at low voltages (<2V), low subthreshold swing (110mV/decade) and charge carrier mobilities of 1cm2/Vs using a semiconducting liquid-crystal polymer.

Effect of Annealing on the Photoelectrochemical Behavior of CuInS2 Nanocrystal Films

Photovoltaics based on inorganic thin film absorber layers such as CuInS2 (CIS) are showing promise in overcoming the increasing energy demand. There are, however, challenges that CIS presents before it can be considered cost effective. A typical synthesis employs a high temperature (∼500°C) annealing step with a H2S atmosphere, which can significantly raise the cost of the photovoltaic devices. In this work we report a relatively low temperature, H2S free annealing step (250°C) that produced a photocurrent enhancement in the CIS nanocrystal film based on the comparison of respective photoelectrochemical measurements. Investigations into the effects of annealing on the morphology, composition, crystallinity and temperature of degradation of the film were carried out. A thin CdS buffer layer can provide photocurrent enhancement of the CIS layer, but it is typically added after annealing because temperatures above 300°C will degrade optical properties. The low annealing temperature allowed for CIS and the CdS buffer layer to be annealed together, which produced a further photocurrent density enhancement. The combination of a low temperature annealing along with a large photocurrent enhancement of the CIS/CdS bi-layer could help to improve efficiency in the full device fabrication while still keeping costs low.

Splash Combustion Synthesis and Exploration of Alkali Metal Pyrophosphate (A2MP2O7, A = Li, Na) Cathodes

Pursuing an alternate energy-savvy synthetic route for economic synthesis of polyanionic cathode materials, we have developed a splash combustion synthesis method. It is capable of producing Fe(II) based cathodes starting from cheap Fe(III) precursors under a quick 1-minute high-temperature annealing step. The proof-ofconcept test was carried out on Li2FeP2O7 cathode with success in achieving nanoscale, carbon-coated end-product with reversible discharge capacity of 100 mAh/g. Further, exploiting this synthetic method, we have discovered a novel Na2FeP2O7 cathode with promising electrochemical properties for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries. The details of splash combustion synthesized alkali metal pyrophosphate cathodes are described in a nutshell.

On the Formation of Intrinsic Defects in 4H-SiC by High Temperature Annealing Steps

In this paper the impact of high temperature annealing on the formation of intrinsic defects in 4H-SiC such as Z1/2 and EH6/7 was examined. Therefore, three epitaxial layers with various initial concentrations of the Z1/2- and EH6/7-centers (1011 – 1013 cm-3) were investigated. It turns out that depending on the initial defect concentration the high temperature annealing leads to a monotone increase of the Z1/2- and EH6/7-concentration in a temperature range from 1600 to 1750°C. For a defined temperature above these values, the resulting defect concentration is independent of the sample’s initial values. Beside the growth conditions themselves such as C/Si ratio the thermal post-growth processing has a severe impact on the carrier lifetime which must be taken into account during device fabrication.

DLTS of p-type Czochralski Si wafers containing processing-induced macropores

The deep levels present in p-type Czochralski silicon with processing-induced macropores in the depletion region have been studied by the deep-level transient (DLT) spectroscopy technique. It is shown that a broad band is present for a bias pulse close to the interface with the Al Schottky contact, which exhibits anomalously slow hole capture and is ascribed to the internal interface states of the macropores. For depths beyond the pore region, other deep levels, associated with point defects—possibly metal contamination during the high-temperature annealing step under H2 ambient–-have been observed. The impact of the observed defects on the lifetime of thin-film solar cells, fabricated using macropore-based layer transfer is discussed. Finally, it is shown that the presence of pores in the depletion region, which also affects the DLT-spectrum, alters the capacitance–voltage characteristics.

Photoluminescence of monocrystalline and stain-etched porous silicon doped with high temperature annealed europium

In this work, for the first time, the photoluminescent emission and excitation spectra of non-textured layers and stain-etched porous silicon layers (PSLs) doped with high temperature annealed europium (Eu) are evaluated. The PSLs are evaluated as a host for rare earth ions and as an antireflection coating. The applied doping process, which consists in a simple impregnation method followed by a high-temperature annealing step, is compatible with the standard processes in the fabrication of solar cells. The results show down-shifting processes with a maximum photoluminescent intensity at 615 nm, related to the transition 5D0 → 7F2. Different initial concentrations of Eu(NO3)3 are evaluated to study the influence of the rare earth concentration on the photoluminescent intensity. The chemical composition and the morphology of Eu-doped PSLs are examined by means of x-ray dispersion spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. These Eu-doped layers are considered to be applied as energy converters in silicon-based third generation solar cells.

Effects of high-temperature annealing on ultra-thin CdTe solar cells

High-temperature annealing (HTA), a process step prior to vapor cadmium chloride (VCC) treatment, has been found to be useful for improving the crystallinity of CdTe films and the efficiency of ultra-thin CdTe solar cells. Scanning electron microscopy, optical absorption, photoluminescence measurements and analyses on photoluminescence results using spectral deconvolution reveal that the additional HTA step produces substantial grain growth and reduces grain boundary defects. It also reduces excessive sulfur diffusion across the junction that can occur during the VCC treatment. The HTA step helps to produce pinhole-free CdTe films and reduce electrical shorts in ultra-thin CdTe solar cells. An efficiency of about 11.6% has been demonstrated for ultra-thin CdS/CdTe solar cells processed with HTA step.

Microstructure and atomic configuration of the (001)-oriented surface of epitaxial Ni–Mn–Ga thin films

The (001)-oriented surface of epitaxial off-stoichiometric Ni–Mn–Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys was studied in both austenitic and martensitic phases. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging of the austenitic surface reveals a well-ordered and reconstruction-free surface exhibiting predominantly Mn–Ga termination. We found that only one of the two atomic species (Ga or Mn) is visible in STM, which is attributed to a pronounced geometric corrugation of the surface layer. After a transformation of the sample from the initial austenitic phase to the martensitic phase upon a high-temperature annealing step, a thorough investigation of the martensitic surface was conducted. On a larger scale, pronounced corrugation lines arise from the macroscopically twinned surface. A second corrugation feature is found on a distinctly smaller scale and is shown to originate from the modulated nature of the martensitic film structure. The irregularly spaced corrugation lines support the model of adaptive martensites.

Quantitative analysis of the lattice reconstruction of ion-implanted SiC after visible light laser irradiation

We report on a quantitative analysis of the effect of visible light laser irradiation (VLLI) on hexagonal (α) silicon carbide implanted with nitrogen and aluminum. In both cases of 4H and 6H polytypes we show that a short, but intense, irradiation with the 532 nm wavelength of a frequency-doubled neodymium: ytterbium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser results in a substantial reduction in the damage level produced by room temperature ion implantation. Up to now the recovery could not be made complete but, in the best conditions, it could reach ∼80% of the initial damage value. This is not enough to qualify VLLI as a full activation step but, rather, suggests to use it as a new processing tool in order to lower the constraints of high temperature ion implantation or, after implantation performed at room temperature, to reduce the total budget for high temperature annealing and activation steps.

A General Method for the Anodic Formation of Crystalline Metal Oxide Nanotube Arrays without the Use of Thermal Annealing

Valve metal oxides are versatile in their range of applications, which include high-K dielectrics, gas sensing, biomedical implants, field emitters, and photovoltaic cells. It is now generally recognized that nanoscale control of metal oxide architectures permits significant enhancement of the properties utilized in the above applications. In particular, TiO2 nanotube arrays formed by anodization have demonstrated outstanding performance in gas sensing, photocatalytic, and photovoltaic applications. Review papers on the subject are available. To date, amorphous nanotube arrays have been synthesized by Ti anodization with an elevated-temperature heat treatment, with temperatures typically greater than 350 8C being required to induce crystallinity. With regard to photoelectrochemical water splitting using thick-film Ti foil samples, annealing at temperatures sufficient to induce crystallinity usually leads to the formation of a thick barrier layer, separating the nanotube-array film from the underlying metal substrate, where recombination losses can occur. This barrier layer acts to hinder electron transfer to themetal electrode (cathode) where water reduction takes place, in turn reducing the overall water-splitting efficiency. The need for high-temperature crystallization limits nanotube array use with temperaturesensitive materials, such as polymers, for applications such as photocatalytic membranes. Therefore, low-temperature synthetic routes, where a high-temperature annealing step for crystallization is not required, are needed to obtain the full

Impact of preanneal process on threshold voltage of MOS transistors for trench DRAM

As the first step of DRAM manufacture, preanneal process plays an important role in determining the threshold voltage variation. It is found that the higher trans-1,2-dichloroethene flow in pad oxide growth and the higher nitrogen flow in high-temperature annealing step would respectively engender a lower boron segregation coefficient and higher nitridation of the oxide, both modify the boron distribution in the substrate and consequently the behavior of the threshold voltage. As the feature size of DRAM devices enter nanometer regime, besides gate oxidation, ion implantation and related thermal processes, the impact of preanneal process condition should be prudentially taken into consideration for rigorous control of the threshold voltage in the advanced DRAM production.

Formation of atomic Pt chains on Ge(001) studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

Recently, it was found that atomic Pt chains can be grown on Ge(001) surfaces. These kink-free wires only grow on specific Pt-modified, so-called $\ensuremath{\beta}$ terraces, which are one atom wide and up to a micron long. Their self-assembly includes a crucial, high-temperature annealing step, following low-temperature (sub-) monolayer deposition. So far, details of the formation process remained unclarified. Here, we report on the formation of the Pt atomic chains on the Ge(001) surface after a high-temperature annealing at $1100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. The results suggest that at high temperature, the platinum, previously submerged during and after deposition, emerges and forms Pt dimers located in the troughs between the surface dimer rows, which locally widen in this process. These Pt dimers are initially oriented parallel to the substrate dimers. However, upon surpassing a critical local coverage, the Pt dimers rotate by 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, resulting in a zipperlike formation of the Pt chains.

Crystallization of amorphous sputtered NiTi thin films

Sputtered NiTi thin films are commonly deposited in an amorphous state and require a high-temperature annealing step to crystallize them. Their crystallization process is driven by the kinetic interplay of both nucleation and growth, and their resulting microstructure dictates the martensitic transformation behavior and actuation properties. In this paper, we present the full description of the individual contributions of nucleation and growth. Using in situ transmission electron microscopy heating methods with the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov, theory, we are able to determine these key parameters. During heating, we observed and analyzed the microstructural development and found a correlation between the average grain size and temperature. With cooling, we observed directly the conversion of the high temperature phase (austenite) to its low temperature phases (R-phase and martensite). We also examined the effect of composition on the martensitic transformation and found the crystallization behavior was markedly different for small variations. Such insights provide details that enable the continued development of thin film materials with optimal properties.

Suppression of Crystallization of Tantalum Oxide Thin Film by Doping with Zirconium

Metal oxide high dielectric constant materials suffer from crystallization after a high-temperature annealing step, which hinders their applications in future metal oxide semiconductor devices. We observed that when the tantalum oxide thin film was doped with zirconium, its amorphous-to-polycrystalline transition temperature was raised by more than 200°C. The crystal structure and grain size were affected by the dopant concentration, annealing temperature, and film thickness. The doping method changed the crystallization mechanism of the film. Therefore, the doping method is effective in improving the high-k dielectric electrical properties.

Solution-based, Low-temperature Deposition of Oxide Thin Films for Electronics

The realization of high-quality oxide thin films for electronics applications through low-temperature solution deposition represents a singular challenge in processing chemistry. Traditionally, such processing has been accomplished through a selected sol-gel process usually involving organic precursors and a hydrolysis reaction. To convert hydrolysis products to oxide and fully eliminate precursor materials, a high-temperature annealing step is included. Of course, this high-temperature anneal diminishes the advantages of a low-temperature solution deposition; it also commonly leads to the occurrence of undesirable morphologies as well as fractured films through the phenomenon of mud cracking. In a thin-film device, it is especially important to be able to control film morphology and produce the desired functionality.In our work, we are examining new approaches to processing thin oxide films by eliminating organic precursors, identifying new materials systems, developing rapid condensation reactions that promote oxide formation at low temperatures, and investigating the formation and reactions of new nanolaminates. In this presentation, an overview of these approaches will be described with performance characteristics of films in MIM capacitors and transistors serving as examples of the final products.