PATTERNING OF DIELECTRIC OXIDE THIN-LAYERS BY MICROCONTACT PRINTING OF SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS

This communication describes a technique used to pattern oxide thin la yers using microcontact printing (mu CP) and sol-gel deposition. The t echnique involves mu CP of self-assembled monolayers (SAM's) of alkyls iloxane on various substrates (SiO2/Si, sapphire, ITO, and glass), fol lowed by deposition of oxide thin layers from sol-gel precursors. Dela mination of oxide layers from SAM-derivatized regions allows selective deposition of crystalline dielectric oxide layers on underivatized re gions. To demonstrate the viability of this technique for integrated m icroelectronics and optics applications, patterned (Pb,La)TiO3 (PLT) a nd LiNbO3 layers were deposited on sapphire, silicon, and indium tin o xide (ITO) substrates. Use of lattice-matched substrates allows lithog raphy-free deposition of patterned heteroepitaxial oxide layers. Strip waveguides of heteroepitaxial LiNbO3 with 4 mu m lateral dimensions w ere fabricated on sapphire. Dielectric measurements for patterned PLT thin layers on ITO are also reported.