Advanced manufacturable sputtering of high performance pyroelectric thin films

该项目是由位于爱丁堡的中小型企业Pyreos Ltd（薄膜热释电红外传感器开发领域的全球领导者）、位于牛津的中小型企业Korvus Technology（制造高度可定制的先进模块化溅射（PVD）设备）和帝国理工学院（在薄膜沉积控制、表征和分析以及热释电和铁电氧化物方面拥有世界领先的专业知识）合作完成的。该项目的目的是推动沉积薄膜热释电氧化物以及压电和铁电氧化物的最先进技术，以获得具有增强性能特征的薄膜，以及与目前可用的相比，大幅改善的均匀性，可重复性和量产稳定性。通过开发和添加新的过程控制和监测功能，首先是原型溅射工具，然后是生产工具，将使热释电和其他铁电应用的薄膜氧化物的增长得到更好的理解。因此，预计影响沉积的因素可以得到控制，从而生产出具有显著提高可重复性和均匀性的热释电薄膜，从而实现更大规模的生产。此外，在改变热释电/铁电薄膜的微观结构和组成的基础上，探索和发展热释电/铁电薄膜的基本性能特征。该项目对于保持英国在高科技经济中不断增长的MEMS传感器领域的强大影响力至关重要。

The project is a collaboration between Pyreos Ltd, an Edinburgh-based SME who is a world leader in developing thin film pyroelectric infrared sensors, Korvus Technology an Oxford-based SME who manufactures highly customizable advanced modular sputtering (PVD) equipment and Imperial College, with world leading expertise in thin film deposition control, characterization and analysis as well as pyroelectric and ferroelectric oxides. The purpose of the project is to advance the state-of-the-art of depositing thin film pyroelectric oxides as well as piezoelectric and ferroelectric oxides generally, in order to obtain thin films with enhanced performance characteristics as well as substantially improved uniformity, repeatability and stability for volume manufacturing compared to what is available today. By developing and adding new process control and monitoring capabilities to a prototype sputter tool first and a production tool later, will enable the growth of thin film oxides for pyroeletric and other ferroelectric applications to be better understood. As a result, it is expected that the factors affecting the deposition can be controlled in order to produce pyroelectric thin films with significantly improved repeatability and uniformity for higher volumer manufacturing. Further, enhancements to the fundamental peformance chracteristics of the pyroelectric/ferroelectric film will be explored and developed based on altering the microstructure and composition of the films. This project is vital for maintaining a strong UK presence in the growing area of MEMS sensors for a high tech based economy.