Low-temperature deposition of highly [100]-oriented MgO films using charged liquid cluster beam

Charged liquid cluster beam (CLCB) of a precursor solution has been employe d to deposit highly [100]-oriented MgO films with full oxygen content on Si (111) and glass in air at a very low temperature (less than or equal to 40 0 degreesC). Flow-limited field-injection electrostatic spraying was invoke d to produce charged nanometer-size drops (liquid clusters) of the precurso r solution. This solution was prepared by sol-gel processing of magnesium a cetate in ethanol. The morphology, surface atomic ratio of Mg and O, and ca rbon impurity concentration of the films were studied using scanning electr on microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spe ctroscopy (XPS), and Rutherford backscattering (RBS). The MgO films started to crystallize in the [100] direction below 300 degreesC and became more h ighly oriented with increasing temperature. Addition of triethyleneglycol t o the precursor solution reduced the surface roughness of the films at high substrate temperatures. This technique is applicable to large-area coating . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.