LiNbO3 thin film capacitor and transistor processed by a novel method of photo-induced metallo-organic decomposition

A novel technique of photoinduced metallorganic decomposition (PIMOD) was developed to deposit dielectric thin films without the interdiffusion and cracking that have been frequently found in films prepared by the conventional furnace-processed MOD method. Results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) confirm that polycrystalline stoichiometric thin films of lithium niobate can be produced at a much lower temperature and in a shorter processing time compared to the MOD process. LiNbO₃-based capacitors and transistors in a metal-ferroelectric-semiconductor (MFS) structure have been made via the PIMOD process. The MFS capacitors have exhibited ferroelectric switching properties as shown by hysteresis in the capacitance vs. voltage characteristics. Large photocurrents were measured for 900-mil² capacitors. MFSFETs have achieved an amplification factor of 92.3, and the channel conductance of the devices has been demonstrated to be highly affected by the application of voltage pulses from the gate to the substrate