SBIR Phase I: Ferroelectric Thin Films on Low-Cost Substrates for Wireless Applications

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的目标是在低成本衬底(蓝宝石和金属)上生产具有低介电损耗和高可调谐性的高质量BaxSr1-xTiO3(BST)薄膜。这些铁电薄膜对用于例如无线通信硬件的先进的可调谐微波器件非常感兴趣。到目前为止，只有两种工艺技术(PLD和MOCVD)可以将BST沉积到蓝宝石上，而没有一种可以在金属衬底上沉积BST。因此，迫切需要开发一种先进的沉积工艺来克服这些明显的缺点。在相关工作中，我们已经证明了专有的燃烧化学气相沉积(CCVD)工艺可以在各种衬底上沉积高质量的外延BST薄膜。该第一阶段计划的目标是展示CCVD工艺使用CCVD生长的铁电薄膜BaxSr1-xTiO3(BST)生产可调谐微波器件的能力。系统变化的薄膜成分和衬底对薄膜性能的影响将被研究，特别是针对预期的无线应用。随着世界从电话线上解脱出来，低成本、可调微波设备的市场每年都在继续增长。去年售出了价值超过3亿美元的无线手机，预计到2005年这一数字将上升到15亿美元以上。可调谐设备也有利于射频无线电、卫星通信设备和有源天线的制造商。人们对低成本移相器有着巨大的兴趣，目标价格约为。5美元。这一目标是可以通过先进薄膜、低成本衬底和大容量沉积技术的正确组合来实现的。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is aimed at producing high-quality BaxSr1-xTiO3 (BST) films with low dielectric losses and high tunability on low-cost substrates (sapphire and metal). These ferroelectric thin films are of great interest for advanced tunable microwave devices that are being used in, for example, wireless telecommunication hardware. To date, there are only two process technologies (PLD and MOCVD) that allow depositing BST onto sapphire and none exists for depositing BST onto metallic substrates. Hence, there is a compelling technical and commercial need to develop an advanced deposition process that can overcome these apparent shortcomings. In related work we have shown that the proprietary Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition (CCVD) process can deposit high-quality, epitaxial BST thin films onto a variety of substrates. The goal of this Phase I program is to demonstrate the capability of the CCVD process to produce tunable microwave devices using CCVD-grown thin films of ferroelectric BaxSr1-xTiO3 (BST). The effect of systematically varying film composition and substrate on thin-film properties will be investigated with a special focus towards the intended wireless applications.The market for low cost, tunable microwave devices continues to grow every year as the world untethers itself from the telephone lines. Over $300 million worth wireless handsets were sold this past year and that number is projected to rise to over $1.5 billion by the year 2005. Tunable devices also benefit the manufacturers of RF radios, satellite communication equipment, and active antennas. There is a tremendous interest in low-cost phase shifters with a price target of approx. $5. This goal is achievable with the right combination of advanced thin films, low-cost substrate and high-volume deposition technology.