Daniel Gloess

Sputter deposition of stress-controlled piezoelectric AlN and AlScN films for ultrasonic and energy harvesting applications

This paper will report on the deposition and characterization of piezoelectric AlN and AlxSc1-xN layers. A special focus is on the characterization regarding the mechanical stress in the films. Potential applications of the films are in ultrasonic microscopy, energy harvesting and SAW/BAW filters. To demonstrate the potential in ultrasonic applications, the pulse echo method was used.

Sputter deposition of stress controlled piezoelectric AlN and AlScN films for ultrasonic and energy harvesting applications

This paper reports on the deposition and characterization of piezoelectric AlN and AlXSc1-XN layers. Characterization methods include XRD, SEM, active thermo probe, pulse echo, and piezometer measurements. A special focus is on the characterization of AlN regarding the mechanical stress in the films. The stress in the films changed between -2.2 GPa (compressive) and 0.2 GPa (tensile) and showed a significant dependence on film thickness. The cause of this behavior is presumed to be the different mean grain sizes at different film thicknesses, with bigger mean grain sizes at higher thicknesses. Other influences on film stress such as the sputter pressure or the pulse mode are presented. The deposition of gradient layers using those influences allowed the adjustment of film stress while retaining the piezoelectric properties.

Influence of process parameters on properties of piezoelectric AlN and AlScN thin films for sensor and energy harvesting applications

This paper reports on the deposition of AlN and AlXSc1-XN films by pulse magnetron sputtering. The influence of process parameters on the film properties and the evaluation of the films for micro energy harvesting are presented. For AlN it is shown, that film stress can be varied in a considerable range between compressive and tensile stress while maintaining good piezoelectric properties. Additionally, the effect of doping AlN with Sc regarding piezoelectric and mechanical properties is presented. The films show the expected increase of piezoelectric properties as well as the softening of the material with higher Sc concentrations. Above a threshold concentration of around 40% Sc in the AlXSc1-XN films, there exists a separation into two phases, an Al-rich and a Sc-rich wurtzite phase, which is shown by XRD. At Sc concentrations higher than 50%, the films are not piezoelectric, as the films are composed primarily of the cubic ScN phase. Sc doping allows to significantly increase the energy generated in test setup. Up to 350 μW power have been generated under optimum conditions.

Smart ultrasonic sensors systems: investigations on aluminum nitride thin films for the excitation of high frequency ultrasound

Aluminum nitride is a promising material for the use as a piezoelectric sensor material for resonance frequencies higher than 50 MHz and contains the potential for high frequency phased array application in the future. This work represents the fundamental research on piezoelectric aluminum nitride films with a thickness of up to 10 μm based on a double ring magnetron sputtering process. The deposition process of the aluminum nitride thin film layers on silicon substrates was investigated and optimized regarding their piezoelectric behavior. Therefore a specific test setup and a measuring station were created to characterize the sensors. Large single element transducers were deposited on silicon substrates with aluminum electrodes, using different parameters for the magnetron sputter process, like pressure and bias voltage. Afterwards acoustical measurements were carried out in pulse echo mode up to 500 MHz and the piezoelectric charge constants (d33) were determined. As a result, two parameter sets were found for the sputtering process to obtain an excellent piezoelectric charge constant of about 7.2 pC/N maximum.

Large area precision optical coatings by pulse magnetron sputtering

Pulse magnetron sputtering is very well suited for the deposition of optical coatings. Due to energetic activation during film growth, sputtered films are dense, smooth and show an excellent environmental stability. Films of materials like SiO2, Al2O3, Nb2O5 or Ta2O5 can be produced with very little absorption and scattering losses and are well suited for precision optics. FEPs coating plant PreSensLine, a deposition machine dedicated for the development and deposition of precision optical layer systems will be presented. The coating machine (VON ARDENNE) is equipped with dual magnetron systems (type RM by FEP). Concepts regarding machine design, process technology and process control as well as in situ monitoring are presented to realize the high demands on uniformity, accuracy and reproducibility. Results of gradient and multilayer type precision optical coatings are presented. Application examples are edge filters and special antireflective coatings for the backlight of 3D displays with substrate size up to 300 x 400mm. The machine allows deposition of rugate type gradient layers by rotating a rotary table with substrates between two sources of the dual magnetron system. By combination of the precision drive (by LSA) for the substrate movement and a special pulse parameter variation during the deposition process (available with the pulse unit UBS-C2 of FEP), it is possible to adjust the deposition rate as a function of the substrate position exactly. The aim of a current development is a technology for the uniform coating of 3D-substrates and freeform components as well as laterally graded layers.

Energy harvesting based on piezoelectric AlN and AlScN thin films deposited by high rate sputtering

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a piezoelectric material often used as thin film in SAW/BAW devices. Furthermore, there is an increasing interest in its use for energy harvesting applications. Despite it has a relatively low piezoelectric coefficient, it is a suitable choice for energy harvesting applications and due to its low dielectric constant and good mechanical properties. In addition, it is a lead-free material. The films were deposited by reactive pulsed magnetron sputtering using the Double Ring Magnetron DRM 400. This sputter source together with suitable powering and process control allows depositing piezoelectric AlN very homogeneously on 8” substrates with deposition rates of up to 200 nm/min. With the developed technology, film thicknesses of several ten microns are technically and economically feasible. Moreover, by adjusting process parameters accordingly, it is possible to tune properties, like film stress, to application specific requirements. Additionally, it is known that the doping of AlN with Scandium results in a significantly increased piezoelectric coefficient. The influence of process parameters and Sc concentration on film properties were determined by piezometer, pulse echo, SEM, XRD, EDS and nanoindentation measurements. Energy harvesting measurements were done using an electromechanical shaker system for the excitation of defined vibrations and a laservibrometer for determination of the displacement of the samples. The generated power was measured as function of electric load at resonance. An rms power of up to 140μW using AlN films and of 350μW using AlScN films was generated on Si test pieces of 8x80mm2. Furthermore, energy harvesting measurements using manually bended steel strips of 75x25mm2 coated with AlScN were carried out as well. When using only a single actuation, energy of up to 8μJ could be measured. By letting the system vibrate freely, the damped vibration at resonance 50Hz resulted in a measured energy of 420μJ.

Electrospray ionization deposition of BSA under vacuum conditions

Vacuum deposition techniques like thermal evaporation and CVD with their precise layer control and high layer purity often cannot be applied for the deposition of chemical or biological molecules. The molecules are usually decomposed by heat. To overcome this problem, the Electrospray ionization (ESI) process known from mass spectroscopy is employed to transfer molecules into vacuum and to deposit them on a substrate. In this work, a homemade ESI tool was used to deposit BSA (Bovine serum albumin) layers with high deposition rates. Solutions with different concentrations of BSA were prepared using a methanol:water (MeOH:H2O) mixture (1:1) as solvent. The influence of the substrate distance on the deposition rate and on the transmission current was analyzed. Furthermore, the layer thickness distribution and layer adhesion were investigated.

PIEZOELECTRIC BEHAVIOUR OF SPUTTERED ALUMINIUM NITRIDE THIN FILM FOR HIGH FREQUENCY ULTRASONIC SENSORS

Many new materials and processes require non destructive evaluation in higher resolutions by phased array ultrasonic techniques in a frequency range up to 250 MHz. This paper presents aluminium nitride, a promising material for the use as a piezoelectric sensor material in the considered frequency range, which contains the potential for high frequency phased array application in the future. This work represents the fundamental development of piezoelectric aluminium nitride films with a thickness of up to 10 μm. We have investigated and optimized the deposition process of the aluminium nitride thin film layers regarding their piezoelectric behavior. Therefore a specific test setup and a measuring station were created to determine the piezoelectric charge constant (d33) and the electro acoustic behavior of the sensor. Single element transducers were deposited on silicon substrates with aluminium electrodes for top and bottom, using different parameters for the magnetron sputter process, like pressure and bi...