Abstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films are deposited by plasma‐enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE‐ALD). This deposition method allows depositing stoichiometric and highly resistive ZnO films at room temperature. Despite such important requirements for piezoelectricity being met, not much is known in literature about the piezoelectric properties of ZnO thin films (<70 nm) deposited by PE‐ALD. The films are grown at different substrate temperatures to investigate the effect on crystalline and piezoelectric properties. Films deposited on flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) generated a higher piezoelectric current (>1.8 nA) and charge (>80 pC) compared with films deposited on glass (>0.3 nA and >30 pC) due to bending effects of the substrate when mechanically excited. Furthermore, increasing the substrate temperature, during deposition, enhances the growth along the (002) crystallographic orientation, which further strengthens the generated piezoelectric current signal for mechanical excitations along the ZnO film's c‐axis.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2000319 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Physica Status Solidi (A) - Applications and Materials Science |
Volume | 217 |
Issue number | 21 |
Early online date | 26 Aug 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2020 |
Keywords
- atomic layer deposition
- piezoelectricity
- thin films
- zinc oxide
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Chemistry
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Surfaces and Interfaces
Fields of Expertise
- Advanced Materials Science