Site-selective deposition and micropatterning of zirconia thin films on templates of self-assembled monolayers

Zirconia thin films were successfully micropatterned on octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS)-self-assembled monolayers (SAM) in ZrOCl2.8H(2)O-ethanol solution at room temperature. OTS-SAM was modified by UV-irradiation through a photomask to change into a SAM template patterned with silanol and octadecyl groups. The films were selectively deposited in the silanol regions through hydration-alcoholysis and condensation reactions. The as-deposited film was amorphous with a complex composition, decomposed into tetragonal-zirconia at 500degreesC, and further transformed into monoclinic-zirconia at 600degreesC. The as-deposited film demonstrated a dielectric permittivity of 14 at 100 kHz, but a resistivity of 3.1 x 10(11) Omegacm and a leakage current density of 9.0 x 10(-7) Acm(-2) obtained for a MOS device indicated that the film quality needed to be improved.