Masters Theses

Author

Jack Murray

Abstract

"Single layer thin film capacitor structures were fabricated on the surface of low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrates using sputter deposition. The capacitor structures had areas between ~10⁴ µm² to ~10⁶ µm² and featured ~200 nm Al or Pt electrodes with 150-1500 nm Al₂O₃ dielectric layers. Impedance analysis and current-voltage testing were carried out to determine the effect of electrode material and dielectric thickness upon capacitor performance. Capacitance values for devices with Al electrodes ranged from ~10 to ~700 pF, depending on capacitor area and dielectric thickness, and the fit to expected values was better than devices with Pt or mixed (one Al, one Pt) electrodes. Dielectric loss increased with increasing Al₂O₃ thickness, most likely due to cracking in thick (>1 µm) sputtered films. All measured loss values for the sputter deposited Al₂O₃ (tan[lambda]~0.02) were greater than bulk Al₂O₃ (tan[lambda] ~0.001). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were utilized to examine selected capacitor structures. Electron beam induced crystallization of amorphous Al₂O₃ was observed during the selected area diffraction (SAD) patterns. TEM examination and impedance analysis both confirm that functional capacitors with Al electrodes and 300 - 000 nm thick Al₂O₃ dielectric layers can be fabricated on LTCC substrates using sputter deposition"--Abstract, page iv.

Advisor(s)

Huebner, Wayne
OKeefe, Matt

Committee Member(s)

Schwartz, Robert W.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Ceramic Engineering

Sponsor(s)

Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Techologies, LLC

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2012

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Sputter deposition of thin film MIM capacitors for RF bypass and filtering applications
  • Electron beam induced crystallization of sputter deposited amorphous alumina thin films
  • Effect of electrode material and dielectric thickness on the performance of sputter deposited nano capacitors

Pagination

x, 57 pages

Rights

© 2012 Jack Edwin Murray, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Aluminum oxide
Ceramic capacitors
Pulsed laser deposition
Thin films -- Mechanical properties

Thesis Number

T 9973

Print OCLC #

815959274

Electronic OCLC #

795742289

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