1 research outputs found
Preparation of Lithium Containing Oxides by the Solid State Reaction of Atomic Layer Deposited Thin Films
Lithium
containing multicomponent oxides are important materials
for both lithium-ion batteries and optical applications. In most cases
thin films of these materials are desired. Atomic layer deposition
(ALD) is a thin film deposition method that is known to deposit high
quality films by sequential self-limiting surface reactions. However,
the reactivity of lithium ions during the deposition process can pose
challenges for the control of the film growth and even destroy the
self-limiting nature of ALD completely. In this paper, we have studied
the combination of atomic layer deposition and solid state reactions
for the generation of lithium containing multicomponent oxide films.
Atomic layer deposited transition metal oxide thin films were covered
with ALD-grown lithium carbonate, and the films were annealed to produce
lithium tantalate, titanate, and niobate. Lithium carbonate was chosen
as the source of lithium because it is easy to deposit by ALD and
can be handled in air. The films were analyzed as-deposited and after
annealing using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), field
emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and time-of-flight
elastic recoil detection analysis (ToF-ERDA). By this method we were
able to produce crystalline and very close to stoichiometric films
of LiTaO<sub>3</sub>, Li<sub>2</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub>, and LiNbO<sub>3</sub>. The films showed only small amounts of carbon and hydrogen
impurities after annealing. After prolonged annealing at high temperatures,
lithium silicates began to form as a result of lithium ions reacting
with the silicon substrates