Highly conductive RuO2 thin films from novel facile aqueous chemical solution deposition

Abstract

Ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) thin films were synthesized by Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD) on silicon substrates using only water and acetic acid as solvents. The microstructure, phase purity, electrical and optical properties as well as the thermal stability of the thin films have been characterized. The microstructure of the thin films strongly depends on the annealing temperature: A smooth thin film was achieved at an annealing temperature of 600 °C. Higher annealing temperatures (800 °C) led to radial grain growth and an inhomogeneous thin film. A very low resistivity of 0.89 µΩm was measured for a 220 nm-thick thin film prepared at 600 °C. The resistivity of the thin films increases with temperature, which indicates metallic behavior.