Oxide Ultrathin Films

A wealth of information in one accessible book. Written by international experts from multidisciplinary fields, this in-depth exploration of oxide ultrathin films covers all aspects of these systems, starting with preparation and characterization, and going on to geometrical and electronic
structure, as well as applications in current and future systems and devices.

From the Contents:

• Synthesis and Preparation of Oxide Ultrathin Films
• Characterization Tools of Oxide Ultrathin Films
• Ordered Oxide Nanostructures on Metal Surfaces
• Unusual Properties of Oxides and Other Insulators in the Ultrathin Limit
• Silica and High-K Dielectrics Thin Films in Microelectronics
• Oxide Passive Films and Corrosion Protection
• Oxide Films as Catalytic Materials and as Models of Real Catalysts
• Oxide Films in Spintronics
• Oxide Ultrathin Films in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
• Transparent Conducting and Chromogenic Oxide Films as Solar Energy Materials
• Oxide Ultrathin Films in Sensor Applications
• Ferroelectricity in Ultrathin Film Capacitors
• Titania Thin Films in Biocompatible Materials and Medical Implants
• Oxide Nanowires for New Chemical Sensor Devices

Auteur
Prof. Gianfranco Pacchioni is the Vice-Director of the Department of Materials Science at the University of Milano Bicocca. He received his degree in Chemistry from the University of Milan and was awarded his Ph. D. in Physical Chemistry from the Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany. Prof. Pacchioni?s research activity is directed towards theoretical aspects of surface science and materials science, with particular emphasis on the properties of oxide materials, oxide ultrathin films and supported metal nanoclusters. He is author of about 400 papers, has edited a number of books and is on the editorial board of several journals.

Prof. Sergio Valeri is Director of the Department of Physics at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He received his degree in Physics from the University of Bologna, Italy. Prof. Valeri?s research concentrates on solid surfaces and interfaces and low dimensional systems with emphasis on structural and electronic characterization of metal-semiconductor, metal-metal and metal-oxide thin and ultrathin films and interfaces, on the interaction of energetic particles with solid surfaces, and on the development of electron spectroscopies. Prof. Valeri has authored ca 200 papers in international refereed scientific journals.

Contenu

Preface xi

List of Contributors xiii

1 Synthesis and Preparation of Oxide Ultrathin Films 1
Sergio Valeri and Stefania Benedetti

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Basic Aspects of Fabrication 3

1.3 Physical Methods 7

1.4 Chemical Methods 14

1.5 Oxide Nanosheets and Buried Layers 19

1.6 Conclusions and Perspectives 21

2 Characterization Tools of Ultrathin Oxide Films 27
David C. Grinter and Geoff Thornton

2.1 Introduction 27

2.2 Structure Determination Techniques 28

2.3 Spectroscopic Techniques 36

2.4 Summary 43

3 Ordered Oxide Nanostructures on Metal Surfaces 47
Falko P. Netzer and Svetlozar Surnev

3.1 Introduction 47

3.2 Fabrication of Oxide Nanostructures 48

3.3 Novel Structure Concepts 49

3.4 Dimensionality Aspects: from Two- to One- to Zero-Dimensional Structures 58

3.5 Transition from Two- to Three-Dimensional Structures: Growth of Bulk Structures out of Interfacial Layers 63

3.6 Synopsis 69

4 Unusual Properties of Oxides and Other Insulators in the Ultrathin Limit 75
Livia Giordano and Gianfranco Pacchioni

4.1 Introduction 75

4.2 Evolution of Band Gap with Film Thickness 77

4.3 Electronic Transport through Oxide Ultrathin Films 79

4.4 Work Function Changes Induced by Oxide Films 85

4.5 Nanoporosity: Oxide Films as Molecular and Atomic Sieves 89

4.6 Flexibility of Oxide Thin Films and Polaronic Distortion 94

4.7 Conclusions 97

5 Silica and High-k Dielectric Thin Films in Microelectronics 101
Gennadi Bersuker, Keith McKenna, and Alexander Shluger

5.1 Introduction 101

5.2 Electrical Characterization of High-k Dielectrics on Silicon 103

5.3 Theoretical Modeling of Gate Dielectric Films 104

5.4 Models of the Structure and Properties of HfO2 Gate Dielectric Films 106

5.5 Polycrystalline Gate Oxide Films 110

5.6 Conclusions and Outlook 114

6 Oxide Passive Films and Corrosion Protection 119
Philippe Marcus and Vincent Maurice

6.1 Introduction 119

6.2 Electrochemical Fundamentals of Passivation of Metals 119

6.3 Chemical Composition, Chemical States, and Thickness of Passive Films on Metals and Alloys 122

6.4 Two-Dimensional Oxide Passive Films on Metals 126

6.5 Growth and Nanostructure of Three-Dimensional Ultrathin Oxide Films 130

6.6 Corrosion Modeling by DFT 137

6.7 Conclusion 140

7 Oxide Films as Catalytic Materials and Models of Real Catalysts 145
Hans-Joachim Freund

7.1 Introduction 145

7.2 Oxide Thin Films Grown as Supports 146

7.3 Systems to Model Real Catalysts 154

7.4 Ultrathin-Film Catalysts 166

7.5 Synopsis 173

8 Oxide Films in Spintronics 181
Riccardo Bertacco and Franco Ciccacci

8.1 Introduction 181

8.2 Historical Notes 182

8.3 Half-Metallic Manganites: the Case of LSMO 183

8.4 Electric Control of Magnetization in Oxide Heterostructures 189

8.5 Conclusions and Perspectives 197

9 Oxide Ultrathin Films for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells 201
Tatsumi Ishihara

9.1 Overview of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Technology 201

9.2 Preparation of Oxide Ion Conductor Thin Films 203

9.3 Nano Size Effects on Oxide Ion Conductor Films 206

9.4 Power Generating Property of SOFCs using LaGaO3 Thin Films 208

9.5 Development of m-SOFCs 216

9.6 Concluding Remarks 217

10 Transparent Conducting and Chromogenic Oxide Films as Solar Energy Materials 221
Claes-Goran Granqvist

10.1 Introduction 221 10.2 Transparent Infrared Reflectors and Transpar...