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Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS
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Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2022) | Viewed by 12780

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Roger Whatmore

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials, Royal School of Mines, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Interests: ferroelectrics ceramics; thin films; single crystals; polymers and ceramic/polymer composites in electronic devices; pyroelectric thermal imaging arrays; piezoelectric sensors; transducers and SAW devices; electro-optical modulators; non-volatile memories; capacitors and microwave resonators
Prof. Dr. Paul Muralt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Materials, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology—EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Interests: thin films; piezoelectrics; pyroelectrics; ferroelectrics; micro-electro-mechanical systems; micro solid oxide fuel cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery by Joseph Valasek of the phenomenon of ferroelectricity—an electrically-switchable dielectric polarization—in Rochelle salt.  In the century that has followed, ferroelectricity has been discovered in many different materials and material types, ranging from water-soluble, hydrogen-bonded single crystals such as triglycine sulfate, through oxide ceramics such as barium titanate and lead zirconate titanate, to polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride. The polar nature of ferroelectrics confers upon them many useful properties such as pyroelectricity, piezoelectricity, high permittivity and strong electro-optic effects, and the fact that the polarization can be electrically switched means that these effects can be realised in polycrystalline materials as well as single crystals. This has led to ferroelectrics being used in a host of applications such as piezoelectric sensors and actuators, pyroelectric infra-red sensors, electrocaloric heat pumps, information storage, high-value and electrically tuneable capacitors, electro-optic light modulators and frequency doublers, etc.  It has been clear since the mid-1970s that the properties of ferroelectric materials are particularly interesting when used in close association with semiconductor devices, such as silicon components, especially when micro-machined structures and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) concepts can be exploited.  For example, thin piezoelectric films can be used for making micro-actuators and pumps for microfluidics, ink-jet printing, etc., as well as sensitive acoustic detectors.  Pyroelectric films on micromachined membranes make structures which have low thermal mass and are, therefore, of considerable interest for infra-red sensing.  Technologies for the growth of thin ferroelectric films on silicon have advanced enormously in the last 30 years and have in turn fuelled the growth of many applications.

To mark the development of this exciting topic, the Sensors journal is producing a Special Issue entitled “Ferroelectric Thin Films for MEMS”.  Papers are invited in the following areas related to this topic:

  • Growth and characterization of ferroelectric thin films for MEMS;
  • Functional properties (piezoelectric, pyroelectric, dielectric, electro-optic etc) of ferroelectric thin films for MEMS;
  • Processing of ferroelectric thin film MEMS devices;
  • Piezoelectric MEMS actuators and sensors;
  • Piezoelectric microfluidics;
  • Thin film piezoelectric devices such as FBAR and SMR;
  • Thin film piezoelectric resonant sensors;
  • Piezoelectric MEMS ultrasound devices for use in air and aqueous environments;
  • Thin film pyroelectric infra-red detectors and energy recovery devices;
  • Thin film electrocaloric devices;
  • Ferroelectric MEMS optical devices;
  • Theory of ferroelectric thin film MEMS materials and devices.

Prof. Dr. Roger Whatmore
Prof. Dr. Paul Muralt
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Ferroelectric Thin Films
  • MEMS
  • Thin Film Growth
  • Thin Film Characterization
  • Piezoelectric
  • Pyroelectric
  • Electro-optic
  • Dielectric
  • FBAR
  • SMR
  • Ultrasound
  • Resonant Sensors
  • Actuators
  • Infra-red Sensors
  • Electro-calorics

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 1523 KiB  
Article
High-Speed and High-Power Ferroelectric Switching Current Measurement Instrument for Materials with Large Coercive Voltage and Remanent Polarization
by Keisuke Yazawa, Andriy Zakutayev and Geoff L. Brennecka
Sensors 2022, 22(24), 9659; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22249659 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1789
Abstract
A high-speed and high-power current measurement instrument is described for measuring rapid switching of ferroelectric samples with large spontaneous polarization and coercive field. Instrument capabilities (±200 V, 200 mA, and 200 ns order response) are validated with a LiTaO3 single crystal whose [...] Read more.
A high-speed and high-power current measurement instrument is described for measuring rapid switching of ferroelectric samples with large spontaneous polarization and coercive field. Instrument capabilities (±200 V, 200 mA, and 200 ns order response) are validated with a LiTaO3 single crystal whose switching kinetics are well known. The new instrument described here enables measurements that are not possible using existing commercial measurement systems, including the observation of ferroelectric switching in large coercive field and large spontaneous polarization Al0.7Sc0.3N thin films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS)
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16 pages, 6434 KiB  
Article
C-Axis Textured, 2–3 μm Thick Al0.75Sc0.25N Films Grown on Chemically Formed TiN/Ti Seeding Layers for MEMS Applications
by Asaf Cohen, Hagai Cohen, Sidney R. Cohen, Sergey Khodorov, Yishay Feldman, Anna Kossoy, Ifat Kaplan-Ashiri, Anatoly Frenkel, Ellen Wachtel, Igor Lubomirsky and David Ehre
Sensors 2022, 22(18), 7041; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22187041 - 17 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1808
Abstract
A protocol for successfully depositing [001] textured, 2–3 µm thick films of Al0.75Sc0.25N, is proposed. The procedure relies on the fact that sputtered Ti is [001]-textured α-phase (hcp). Diffusion of nitrogen ions into the α-Ti film during reactive [...] Read more.
A protocol for successfully depositing [001] textured, 2–3 µm thick films of Al0.75Sc0.25N, is proposed. The procedure relies on the fact that sputtered Ti is [001]-textured α-phase (hcp). Diffusion of nitrogen ions into the α-Ti film during reactive sputtering of Al0.75,Sc0.25N likely forms a [111]-oriented TiN intermediate layer. The lattice mismatch of this very thin film with Al0.75Sc0.25N is ~3.7%, providing excellent conditions for epitaxial growth. In contrast to earlier reports, the Al0.75Sc0.25N films prepared in the current study are Al-terminated. Low growth stress (<100 MPa) allows films up to 3 µm thick to be deposited without loss of orientation or decrease in piezoelectric coefficient. An advantage of the proposed technique is that it is compatible with a variety of substrates commonly used for actuators or MEMS, as demonstrated here for both Si wafers and D263 borosilicate glass. Additionally, thicker films can potentially lead to increased piezoelectric stress/strain by supporting application of higher voltage, but without increase in the magnitude of the electric field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS)
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11 pages, 4958 KiB  
Article
Improving PMUT Receive Sensitivity via DC Bias and Piezoelectric Composition
by Christopher Cheng, Travis Peters, Ajay Dangi, Sumit Agrawal, Haoyang Chen, Sri-Rajasekhar Kothapalli and Susan Trolier-McKinstry
Sensors 2022, 22(15), 5614; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22155614 - 27 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2323
Abstract
The receive sensitivity of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducers (PMUTs) was improved by applying a DC bias during operation. The PMUT receive sensitivity is governed by the voltage piezoelectric coefficient, h31,f. With applied DC biases (up to 15 [...] Read more.
The receive sensitivity of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducers (PMUTs) was improved by applying a DC bias during operation. The PMUT receive sensitivity is governed by the voltage piezoelectric coefficient, h31,f. With applied DC biases (up to 15 V) on a 2 μm PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 film, e31,f increased 1.6 times, permittivity decreased by a factor of 0.6, and the voltage coefficient increased by ~2.5 times. For released PMUT devices, the ultrasound receive sensitivity improved by 2.5 times and the photoacoustic signal improved 1.9 times with 15 V applied DC bias. B-mode photoacoustic imaging experiments showed that with DC bias, the PMUT received clearer photoacoustic signals from pencil leads at 4.3 cm, compared to 3.7 cm without DC bias. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS)
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10 pages, 2531 KiB  
Communication
High Electrocaloric Effect in Lead Scandium Tantalate Thin Films with Interdigitated Electrodes
by Veronika Kovacova, Sebastjan Glinsek, Stephanie Girod and Emmanuel Defay
Sensors 2022, 22(11), 4049; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22114049 - 27 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1735
Abstract
Lead scandium tantalate, Pb(Sc,Ta)O3, is an excellent electrocaloric material showing large temperature variations, good efficiency, and a broad operating temperature window. In form of multilayer ceramic capacitors integrated into a cooling device, the device can generate a temperature difference larger than [...] Read more.
Lead scandium tantalate, Pb(Sc,Ta)O3, is an excellent electrocaloric material showing large temperature variations, good efficiency, and a broad operating temperature window. In form of multilayer ceramic capacitors integrated into a cooling device, the device can generate a temperature difference larger than 13 K. Here, we investigate Pb(Sc,Ta)O3 in form of thin films prepared using the sol–gel chemical solution deposition method. We report the detailed fabrication process of high-quality films on various substrates such as c-sapphire and fused silica. The main originality of this research is the use of interdigitated top electrodes, enabling the application of very large electric fields in PST. We provide structural and electrical characterisation, as well as electrocaloric temperature variation, using the Maxwell relation approach. Films do not show a B-site ordering. The temperature variation from 7.2 to 15.7 K was measured on the Pb(Sc,Ta)O3 film on a c-sapphire substrate under the electric field of 1330 kV/cm between 14.5 °C and 50 °C. This temperature variation is the highest reported so far in Pb(Sc,Ta)O3 thin films. Moreover, stress seems to have an effect on the maximum permittivity temperature and thus electrocaloric temperature variation with temperature in Pb(Sc,Ta)O3 films. Tensile stress induced by fused silica shifts the “transition” of Pb(Sc,Ta)O3 to lower temperatures. This study shows the possibility for electrocaloric temperature variation tuning with stress conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS)
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13 pages, 2862 KiB  
Article
Lead-Free Sodium Potassium Niobate-Based Multilayer Structures for Ultrasound Transducer Applications
by Danjela Kuscer, Brigita Kmet, Silvo Drnovšek, Julien Bustillo and Franck Levassort
Sensors 2022, 22(9), 3223; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22093223 - 22 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1838
Abstract
Thick films with nominal composition (K0.5Na0.5)0.99Sr0.005NbO3 (KNNSr) on porous ceramics with identical nominal composition were investigated as potential candidates for environmentally benign ultrasonic transducers composed entirely [...] Read more.
Thick films with nominal composition (K0.5Na0.5)0.99Sr0.005NbO3 (KNNSr) on porous ceramics with identical nominal composition were investigated as potential candidates for environmentally benign ultrasonic transducers composed entirely of inorganic materials. In this paper, the processing of the multilayer structure, namely, the thick film by screen printing and the porous ceramic by sacrificial template method, is related to their phase composition, microstructure, electromechanical, and acoustic properties to understand the performance of the devices. The ceramic with a homogeneous distribution of 8 μm pores had a sufficiently high attenuation coefficient of 0.5 dB/mm/MHz and served as an effective backing. The KNNSr thick films sintered at 1100 °C exhibited a homogeneous microstructure and a relative density of 97%, contributing to a large dielectric permittivity and elastic constant and yielding a thickness coupling factor kt of ~30%. The electroacoustic response of the multilayer structure in water provides a centre frequency of 15 MHz and a very large fractional bandwidth (BW) of 127% at −6 dB. The multilayer structure is a candidate for imaging applications operating above 15 MHz, especially by realising focused-beam structure through lenses to further increase the sensitivity in the focal zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS)
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19 pages, 5345 KiB  
Article
Simple and Robust Microfabrication of Polymeric Piezoelectric Resonating MEMS Mass Sensors
by Chang Ge and Edmond Cretu
Sensors 2022, 22(8), 2994; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22082994 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2237
Abstract
Resonating MEMS mass sensors are microdevices with broad applications in fields such as bioscience and biochemistry. Their advantageous surface-to-volume ratio makes their resonant frequency highly sensitive to variations in their mass induced by surface depositions. Recent global challenges, such as water quality monitoring [...] Read more.
Resonating MEMS mass sensors are microdevices with broad applications in fields such as bioscience and biochemistry. Their advantageous surface-to-volume ratio makes their resonant frequency highly sensitive to variations in their mass induced by surface depositions. Recent global challenges, such as water quality monitoring or pandemic containment, have increased the need for low-cost (even disposable), rapidly fabricated microdevices as suitable detectors. Resonant MEMS mass sensors are among the best candidates. This paper introduces a simple and robust fabrication of polymeric piezoelectric resonating MEMS mass sensors. The microfabrication technology replaces the traditional layer-by-layer micromachining techniques with laser micromachining to gain extra simplicity. Membrane-based resonant sensors have been fabricated to test the technology. Their characterization results have proven that the technology is robust with good reproducibility (around 2% batch level variations in the resonant frequency). Initial tests for the MEMS mass sensors’ sensitivity have indicated a sensitivity of 340 Hz/ng. The concept could be a starting point for developing low-cost MEMS sensing solutions for pandemic control, health examination, and pollution monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Ferroelectric Thin Films in MEMS)
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