Site-selective deposition and micropatterning of zirconia thin films on templates of self-assembled monolayers

Abstract

Zirconia thin films were successfully micropatterned on octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS)-self-assembled monolayers (SAM) in ZrOCl2 · 8H2O-ethanol solution at room temperature. OTS-SAM was modified by UV-irradiation through a photomask to change into a SAM template patterned with silanol and octadecyl groups. The films were selectively deposited in the silanol regions through hydration-alcoholysis and condensation reactions. The as-deposited film was amorphous with a complex composition, decomposed into tetragonal-zirconia at 500°C, and further transformed into monoclinic-zirconia at 600°C. The as-deposited film demonstrated a dielectric permittivity of 14 at 100 kHz, but a resistivity of 3.1 × 1011 Ω cm and a leakage current density of 9.0 × 10-7 Acm-2 obtained for a MOS device indicated that the film quality needed to be improved.