Fabrication and characterization of micropatterned barium titanate ceramics

Abstract

A new patterning method combining electron beam (EB) lithography and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) for fabricating micropatterned barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) thin films was investigated. At first, resist molds with high resolution were prepared using EB lithography on Pt/Ti/Si substrates. Then BaTiO 3 nanoparticles were deposited on the substrates by EPD from a transparent suspension of monodispersed BaTiO 3 nanoparticles; a mixed solvent of 2-methoxyethonal and acetylacetone with a 9:1 volumetric ratio was used as a dispersion medium. The nanoparticles with an average size of about 10 nm were synthesized at a low temperature of 90°C by a high concentration sol-gel process. EPD layers superfluously deposited on the resist molds were mechanically polished away, followed by chemically removing the molds in a resist remover to leave micropatterns of BaTiO 3 nanoparticles on the substrates, which were finally sintered to yield micropatterned BaTiO 3 ceramic thin films. The method developed may be used to fabricate other micropatterned electroceramic thin films.