Area-selective atomic layer deposition of platinum on YSZ substrates using microcontact printed SAMs

Using (methylcyclopentadienyl)trimethylplatinum (MeCpPtMe3) and oxygen as precursors, Pt has been deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the surfaces of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), a solid oxide electrolyte, as well as on oxide-covered silicon. Ex situ analyses have been carried out to examine the properties of both as-deposited and postannealed Pt films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements demonstrate that there are no detectable impurities in the as-deposited Pt films, and four-point probe measurements show that the resistivity for a 30.2 nm film is as low as 18.3 mu Omega cm. The use of area-selective ALD to deposit patterned Pt has also been investigated. By coating these same substrates with octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), Pt ALD can be successfully blocked. Furthermore, it is shown that by transferring the ODTS SAMs to the substrates by microcontact printing (mu CP) using patterned stamps, platinum thin films are grown selectively on the SAM-free surface regions. Features with sizes as small as 2 mu m have been deposited by this combined ALD-mu CP method; the resolution is limited by the printed pattern and, likely, can be achieved at dimensions significantly smaller than a micrometer. (c) 2007 The Electrochemical Society.