Abstract: A liquid primer is misted, flowed into a deposition chamber and deposited on a substrate. A liquid precursor is then misted, flowed into a deposition chamber and deposited on the substrate. The primer and precursor are dried to form a solid thin film, which is then annealed to form a part of an electronic component in an integrated circuit, such as the dielectric in a memory cell. The primer is a solvent, and the precursor includes a metal carboxylate, a metal alkoxide, or a metal alkoxycarboxylate in a precursor solvent. Preferably, the primer and the precursor solvent are the same solvent, such as 2-methoxyethanol, xylenes, or n-butyl acetate.

Abstract: UV radiation is applied to a substrate in a deposition chamber to desorb water and other contaminates from it. A liquid precursor is misted, flowed into the deposition chamber and deposited on a substrate while UV radiation is applied to the mist. The film of liquid on the substrate is dried and annealed on the substrate while the UV radiation is applied to form a solid thin film of a metal oxide. The thin film is then incorporated into an electronic device of an integrated circuit fabricated on the substrate. The application of UV radiation to both the mist during deposition and the thin film after deposition significantly increases the quality of the resulting integrated circuits. The process has been found to be particularly excellent for making BST, strontium bismuth tantalate, and strontium bismuth niobate.

Abstract: A liquid precursor containing a metal is applied to a first electrode, dried in air at a first temperature of 160.degree. C. and then a second temperature of 260.degree. C., RTP baked at a temperature of 300.degree. C. in oxygen, RTP baked at a temperature of 650.degree. C. in nitrogen, and annealed at a temperature of 800.degree. C. in nitrogen to form a strontium bismuth tantalate layered superlattice material. A second electrode is deposited and then the device is patterned to form a capacitor, and a second anneal is performed at a temperature of 800.degree. C. in nitrogen. Alternatively, the second anneal may be performed in oxygen at a temperature of 600.degree. C. or less. In this manner, a high electronic quality thin film of a layered superlattice material is fabricated without a high-temperature oxygen anneal.

Abstract: A substrate is located within a deposition chamber, the substrate defining a substrate plane. A barrier plate is disposed in spaced relation above the substrate and substantially parallel thereto, the area of said barrier plate in a plane parallel to said substrate being substantially equal to said area of said substrate in said substrate plane, i.e. within 10% of said substrate area. The barrier plate has a smoothness tolerance of 5% of the average distance between said barrier plate and said substrate. A mist is generated, allowed to settle in a buffer chamber, filtered through a 1 micron filter, and flowed into the deposition chamber between the substrate and barrier plate to deposit a liquid layer on the substrate. The liquid is dried to form a thin film of solid material on the substrate, which is then incorporated into an electrical component of an integrated circuit.

Abstract: Metal alkoxycarboxylate-based liquid precursor solutions are used form electronic devices (100) that include mixed layered superlattice materials (112) of a type having discrete oxygen octahedral layers (124) and (128) collated with a superlattice-generator layer (116). The precursor solutions include a plurality of metal moieties in effective amounts for yielding the layered superlattice materials. These metal moieties are mixed to include an A/B portion capable of forming an A/B layer (124), a perovskite-like AB layer portion capable of forming a perovskite-like AB octahedral layer (128), and a superlattice-generator portion capable of forming the superlattice-generator layer (116). The precursors are deposited in liquid form upon a substrate and annealed to provide the layered superlattice materials.

Abstract: Solution films of a photosensitive metal arylketone alcoholate are micro-patterned by exposure to ultraviolet radiation under a mask. The resultant patterns are developed in an apolar solvent and annealed to provide thin film metal oxides for use in integrated circuits.

Abstract: A thin film of ferroelectric layered superlattice material in a flat panel display device is energized to selectively influence the display image. In one embodiment, a voltage pulse causes the layered superlattice material to emit electrons that impinge upon a phosphor, causing the phosphor to emit light. In another embodiment, an electric potential creates a remanent polarization in the layered superlattice material, which exerts an electric field in liquid crystal layer, thereby influencing the transmissivity of light through the liquid crystal. The layered superlattice material is a metal oxide formed using a special liquid precursor containing an alkoxycarboxylate. The thin film of layered superlattice material is formed using a spin-on technique and low-temperature heat treating. The thin film thickness is preferably in the range 500-1400 .ANG. so that polarizability and transparency of the thin film is enhanced.

Abstract: A method of forming a Bi-layered ferroelectric thin film on a substrate with good reproducibility, using a mixed composition of a Bi-containing organic compound and a metal polyalkoxide compound by at least one technique selected from the group consisting of molecular deposition such as CVD, and spincoat-sintering.

Abstract: A mist generator produces a mist from a liquid precursor. The mist is charged and accelerated by a pair of charged electrodes in an acceleration chamber. The mist passes through a conduit charged to the same polarity of the mist particles, to a deposition chamber where they are deposited on a substrate having the opposite polarity as the particles. Infrared lamps heat the mist particles in the acceleration chamber to a temperature below the temperature at which the compounds and solvent in the liquid precursor decompose. In one embodiment the deposition chamber is tubular and a plurality of substrates are held within the chamber in a position substantially perpendicular to the direction of mist flow in the chamber. A heater and an electrical field generator in the tube add sufficient energy to the mist as it passes through the tube to provide uniform deposition of the mist on the plurality of substrates.

Abstract: A precursor solution formed of a liquid polyoxyalkylated metal complex in a solvent is applied to a substrate in the formation of a metal oxide thin film. The liquid thin film is baked in air to a temperature up to 500.degree. C. while UV radiation having a wavelength ranging from 180 nm to 300 nm is applied. The thin film can be twice-baked at increasing temperatures while UV radiation is applied at one or both bakings. The film is then annealed at temperature ranging from about 700.degree. C. to 850.degree. C. to produce a thin-film solid metal oxide product. Alternatively, the UV radiation may be applied to the liquid precursor, the thin film may be annealed with UV radiation, or combinations of such applications of UV radiation to the precursor, to the thin film before or after baking, and/or UV annealing may be used. The use of UV radiation significantly reduces the leakage current and carbon impurity content of the final metal oxide.

Abstract: A memory cell includes a ferroelectric capacitor and a transistor connected between one side of the capacitor and a bit line. A drive circuit includes an operational amplifier having an output, an inverting input, and a non-inverting input. A plate line is connected between the other side of the capacitor and the output. The non-inverting input is connected to a data-in line through a first resistor and to the bit line through a second resistor. The inverting input is connected to a constant voltage source through a third resistor, and to the plate line through a fourth resistor. A first buffer amplifier is connected between the bit line and the second resistor, and a second buffer amplifier is connected between the plate line and the fourth resistor Voltage is connected to the other one of the operational amplifier inputs.

Abstract: A charge storage device, such as an integrated circuit memory, including a dielectric comprising a barium-strontium-niobium oxide. A liquid precursor including the metals barium, strontium, and niobium is prepared and applied to a platinum electrode. The precursor is baked and annealed to form a dielectric having the formula Ba.sub.x Sr.sub.y Nb.sub.z O.sub.30, where x=1.3 to 3.5, y=1.5 to 3.7, and z =10. A top platinum electrode is then formed to provide a memory cell capacitor. Optimum results to date have been obtained with Ba.sub.2 Sr.sub.3 Nb.sub.10 O.sub.30, which yields a memory cell dielectric with dielectric constant over 1000 and a leakage current of less than 10.sup.-5 amperes per square centimeter for voltages up to 5 volts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for forming thin films of chemical compounds utilized in integrated circuits. The method includes steps forming a precursor liquid comprising a chemical compound in a solvent, providing a substrate within a vacuum deposition chamber, producing a mist of the precursor liquid, and flowing the mist into the deposition chamber while maintaining the chamber at ambient temperature to deposit a layer of the precursor liquid on the substrate. The liquid is dried to form a thin film of a solid material on the substrate, then the integrated circuit is completed to include at least a portion of the film of solid material in a component of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: Thin film ferroelectric materials for use in integrated memory circuits, such as FERAMS and the like, contain strontium bismuth niobium tantalate having an empirical formula SrBi.sub.2+E (Nb.sub.X Ta.sub.2-X)O.sub.9+3E/2, wherein E is a number representing an excess amount of bismuth ranging from zero to 2; and X is a number representing an excess amount of niobium ranging from 0.01 to 0.9. The thin films demonstrate an exceptional resistance to polarization imprinting when challenged with unidirectional voltage pulses.

Abstract: A precursor solution formed of a liquid polyoxyalkylated metal complex in a solvent is applied to a substrate in the formation of a metal oxide thin film. The liquid thin film is baked in air to a temperature up to 500.degree. C. while UV radiation having a wavelength ranging from 180 nm to 300 nm is applied. The thin film can be twice-baked at increasing temperatures while UV radiation is applied at one or both bakings. The film is then annealed at temperature ranging from about 700.degree. C. to 850.degree. C. to produce a thin-film solid metal oxide product. Alternatively, the UV radiation may be applied to the liquid precursor, the thin film may be annealed with UV radiation, or combinations of such applications of UV radiation to the precursor, to the thin film before or after baking, and/or UV annealing may be used. The use of UV radiation significantly reduces the leakage current and carbon impurity content of the final metal oxide.

Abstract: An electromagnetic wave absorption panel for use in building construction includes a protective tile layer, an absorber layer, a metal reflective layer, and a building support layer, such as concrete. The absorber layer utilizes novel materials including high dielectric constant materials, such as ABO.sub.3 type perovskites, layered superlattice materials, conducting oxides, and signet magnetics, ferroelectrics, such as ABO.sub.3 type perovskites and layered superlattice materials, garnets, a nickel-zinc ferrite, Ni.sub.0.4 Zn.sub.0.6 Fe.sub.2 O.sub.4, and polymer-ceramic composites of the above materials.

Abstract: A liquid precursor containing barium, strontium, and titanium, is applied to a first electrode, dried in air at a first temperature of 160.degree. C. and then a second temperature of 400.degree. C., and annealed at a temperature of 800.degree. C. in nitrogen to form a thin film of barium strontium titanate. A second electrode is deposited and then the device is patterned to form a capacitor, and a second anneal is performed at a temperature of 800.degree. C. in nitrogen. In this manner, a high electronic quality thin film of barium strontium titanate is fabricated without a high-temperature oxygen anneal.

Abstract: A photosensitive liquid precursor solution including titanium carboxyketoesters or titanium carboxydiketonates polymerizes upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The solution is applied to an integrated circuit substrate, masked, and exposed to ultraviolet radiation to pattern the liquid precursor film. Unexposed portions of the film are removed in a developer solution including alcohol and water. The remaining portion of the film constitutes a pattern that may be annealed to form a metal oxide.

Abstract: A precursor liquid comprising several metal 2-ethylhexanoates, such as strontium, tantalum and bismuth 2-ethylhexanoates, in a solvent such as xylenes/methyl ethyl ketone and a small amount of hexamethyl-disilazane. The liquid is dried, baked, and annealed to form a thin film of a layered superlattice material, such as strontium bismuth tantalate, on the substrate.

Abstract: A precursor liquid comprising several metal 2-ethylhexanoates, such as strontium, tantalum and bismuth 2-ethylhexanoates, in a xylenes/methyl ethyl ketone solvent is prepared, a substrate is placed within a vacuum deposition chamber, a small amount of hexamethyl-disilazane is added to the precursor liquid is misted, and the mist is flowed into the deposition chamber while maintaining the chamber at ambient temperature to deposit a layer of the precursor liquid on the substrate. The liquid is dried, baked, and annealed to form a thin film of a layered superlattice material, such as strontium bismuth tantalate, on the substrate. Then an integrated circuit is completed to include at least a portion of the layered superlattice material film in a component of the integrated circuit.