High throughput screening of ferroelectric thin film libraries

High throughput methods can significantly speed up the search for advanced materials in a multidimensional configuration space, hence keeping innovation cycles short. In the search for improved materials, high throughput methods are wanted to optimize composition and processing of promising systems, and to find candidate compounds. Such a method is described here which is applicable to the development of ferroelectric thin films. Libraries with samples of varying chemical composition were produced via the sol-gel route on structured and metallized silicon wafers. To determine the permittivity of the films, automated measurements of film thickness and capacity were established. Furthermore, ferroelectric hysterisis measurements were performed on samples with a particularly high permittivity. This high throughput route, which allows for synthesis and characterization of over hundred samples per day, was proved and tested by means of lead zirconate titanate as a standard material. It was possible to obtain films with remarkable high permittivity and low coercive field at optimal lead zirconate/lead titanate ratio and by compensating for lead loss during processing by finding the optimal lead excess added to the precursor solutions.