Preparation and characterization of sol-gel derived Y2O3 thin films

Sol-gel derived Y2O3 thin films have been prepared on platinum coated silicon wafers and fired to temperatures ranging from 400 degrees C to 750 degrees C. Multiple coats were used to obtain films up to 0.5 mu m thick with an intermediate firing of 400 degrees C between coatings. Top Pt electrodes were sputtered to form monolithic capacitors. These films exhibited a dielectric constant of 18 and a leakage current of 10(-11)-10(-7) A/cm(2), making them attractive candidates for high dielectric constant dielectric films in high density DRAMs.