In this work, the laser-based annealing process of sol-gel-derived piezoelectric PZT53/47 (lead zirconate titanate) thin films deposited on platinized silicon substrates is investigated. A temperature control closed loop is implemented to allow for the measurement and control of the annealing temperature. Samples are treated at temperatures of up to 900 °C and heating rates between 300 and 9000 K/s in ambient conditions. The results show that highly functional PZT thin films can be crystallized at interaction times of less than 1 s while exhibiting a remanent polarization of up to 28 μC/cm2 and a piezoelectric coefficient of up to 49 pm/V. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that an intermetallic Pt3Pb phase forms prior to the formation of phase pure PZT. With decreasing interaction time between the laser beam and the thin film, the temperature range in which this Pt3Pb phase is stable extends toward temperatures as high as 900 °C without the formation of phase pure PZT. Furthermore, a decrease in the interaction time requires higher annealing temperatures to form fully crystalline PZT thin films. Scanning electron microscope images reveal that short interaction times shift the nucleation of the PZT thin films from epitaxial to heterogeneous nucleation. Overall, it is demonstrated that the crystallization time of chemical solution deposited PZT thin films can be reduced significantly by using laser radiation.
The growing market of printed electronics requires the development of new materials and processing technologies that enable the design of smart wearables, integrated sensors, and next-generation electronics. Against the backdrop of increasing material scarcity, these approaches must be resource-conserving and, at the same time, competitive with conventional technologies. As an alternative to nanoparticle-based inks currently used in printed electronics, another technology has been emerging in the last years that utilizes metal organic decomposition (MOD) inks, which are easy to fabricate and have a long shelf life. In this study, a method is presented that allows the direct formation of thin copper-nickel alloy films from a MOD ink. These alloys are preferably used for sensors like strain gauges as they exhibit a low thermal coefficient of resistivity (TCR). 250 nm thin alloy films are coated on glass substrates and thermally functionalized. In a conventional hot plate heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere, 10.2% bulk conductivity for a Cu55Ni45 alloy with a TCR of 8.3 × 10−5 K−1 is reached. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the formation of a mixed crystal composed of nickel and copper atoms. A laser-based functionalization process is developed that allows the processing of Cu55Ni45 alloy films under ambient conditions without the formation of copper or nickel oxides. Laser-functionalized films exhibit 5.3% of the conductivity of bulk material. This study shows that metal alloy films can be fabricated directly from amine-based MOD inks.
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