Mo-La₂O₃ Multilayer Metallization Systems for High Temperature Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor Devices

• Main Authors: Siegfried B. Menzel, Marietta Seifert, Abhinav Priyadarshi, Gayatri K. Rane, Eunmi Park, Steffen Oswald, Thomas Gemming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-08-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: SAW sensors; interdigital transducer material; high-temperature stability; dispersion strengthening; Mo-La₂O₃ multilayers
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/12/17/2651

Developing advanced thin film materials is the key challenge in high-temperature applications of surface acoustic wave sensor devices. One hundred nanometer thick (Mo-La<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>2</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>O<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>3</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>) multilayer systems were fabricated at room temperature on thermally oxidized (100) Si substrates (SiO<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>2</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>/Si) to study the effect of lanthanum oxide on the electrical resistivity of molybdenum thin films and their high-temperature stability. The multilayer systems were deposited by the magnetron sputter deposition of extremely thin (&#8804;1 nm) La interlayers in between adjacent Mo layers. After deposition of each La layer the process was interrupted for 25 to 60 min to oxidize the La using the residual oxygen in the high vacuum of the deposition chamber. The samples were annealed at 800 <inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msup> <mrow></mrow> <mo>∘</mo> </msup> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>C in high vacuum for up to 120 h. In case of a 1 nm thick La interlayer in-between the Mo a continuous layer of La<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>2</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>O<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>3</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula> is formed. For thinner La layers an interlayer between adjacent Mo layers is observed consisting of a (La<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>2</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>O<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>3</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>-Mo) mixed structure of molybdenum and nm-sized lanthanum oxide particles. Measurements show that the (Mo-La<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>2</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>O<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>3</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>) multilayer systems on SiO<inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msub> <mrow></mrow> <mn>2</mn> </msub> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>/Si substrates are stable at least up to 800 <inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <msup> <mrow></mrow> <mo>∘</mo> </msup> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>C for 120 h in high vacuum conditions.