Criteria for choosing a substrate for thin films

AI Thread Summary
Choosing a substrate for thin film deposition involves considering the physical and chemical compatibility of the materials. For epitaxial growth, the substrate's crystal structure and lattice constants should closely match those of the film. The surface properties, such as hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, are crucial depending on the solvent used. Clean, flat surfaces are essential for effective deposition, and various methods like sputtering and CVD can be employed. Silicon is often preferred for ZnO thin films due to its availability and favorable properties, even when epitaxial growth is not the primary goal.
ralden
Messages
76
Reaction score
0
Hi guys!, i want to know what are the criteria in choosing a substrate to deposit thin films, like what are the physical and chemical properties of the substrate to be compatible in depositing thin films?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
ralden said:
Hi guys!, i want to know what are the criteria in choosing a substrate to deposit thin films, like what are the physical and chemical properties of the substrate to be compatible in depositing thin films?

If you are aiming for epitaxy, then the crystal structure and lattice constants of the substrate should be similar to the film you are depositing.
if you want a liquid on a solid then the surface should be hydrophobic or hydrophilic depending on if the solvent is nonpolar or polar.

Using physical deposition, such as e-beam evaporation, you can deposit just about anything on anything else.
Generally you want very clean, flat surfaces.
Also look up sputtering, CVD, PECVD, MOCVD, PVD, etc.
 
Hyo X said:
If you are aiming for epitaxy, then the crystal structure and lattice constants of the substrate should be similar to the film you are depositing.
if you want a liquid on a solid then the surface should be hydrophobic or hydrophilic depending on if the solvent is nonpolar or polar.

Using physical deposition, such as e-beam evaporation, you can deposit just about anything on anything else.
Generally you want very clean, flat surfaces.
Also look up sputtering, CVD, PECVD, MOCVD, PVD, etc.

I want to deposit ZnO (n-type) thin films in Silicon (p-type) substrate using spray pyrolysis, but i don't know the reasons why many articles choose silicon over other substrates
 
if not for epitaxial growth, then i would guess availability.
 
Back
Top