Chemical solution deposited lanthanum zirconium oxide thin films: Synthesis and chemistry

Pyrochlore lanthanum zirconium oxide (LZO) thin films textured along < 4 0 0 > are synthesized using lanthanum acetate hydrate, zirconium propoxide, propionic acid, acetic acid glacial, and methanol as precursors. The materials growth and chemistry are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The formation of inkjet printed 120 films on Ni-5%W tape is found to be based on the decomposition of the 120 precursor solution. In the annealing process, Zr metal-oxides bonds are first eliminated between 150 and 250 degrees C, while carboxylates from precursors remain in 120 after the annealing carried out at 900 degrees C for an hour. Annealed 120 films have dense and smooth structure that are composed of nanoparticles sizing 10-15 nm and some pinholes sizing 25-35 nm accounted for less than 0.1% of the area are observed. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.