Recently, many dielectric materials have been considered as future promising candidates for a thin dielectric in DRAM storage capacitors. Due to its properties of high dielectric constant (£`// = 170, £`¡æ = 89), high refractive index (~2.5) and high chemical stability. TiO2 is a promising candidate for fabricating thin dielectrics in dynamic random access memory (DRAM) storage capacitors and as gate dielectrics of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) without the problem of conventional SiO2 thickness scaling down in ULSI processes because of its high dielectric constant. TiO2 thin films grown on p-type (100) Si substrate are investigated by a cold wall horizontal MOCVD system using Ti(i-OC3H7)4, N2O and O2 as precursors in the growth temperature range from 400¢J to 700¢J. The growth rate of using N2O as the oxidizer is quicker than the growth rate of using O2 as the oxidizer because N2O is the more efficient in producing free O atoms. XRD results indicate that the structures of TiO2 films are polycrystalline and the phase transformation temperature of TiO2 films from the anatase phase to the rutile phase is about 650¢J. Electrical properties are strongly influenced by the growth temperature. The electrical properties of as-grown TiO2 films can be improved by annealing treatment. The TiO2 films using O2 as the oxidizer at the growth temperature of 600¢J has the highest dielectric constant of 119.3 and the lowest leakage current density of 1.43¡Ñ10-6 A/cm2 at the applied electric field of 1 MV/cm after annealing for 20 minutes in O2. In order to obtain the better electrical properties of TiO2 films on Si substrate, we prepared TiO2 films by combination of MOCVD and LPD. The dielectric constant of post-annealed TiO2 films prepared by combination of MOCVD and LPD is 34.1. And the leakage current density of it is 3.7¡Ñ10-6 A/cm2 at the applied electric field of 1 MV/cm. It is lower than the films prepared in the same MOCVD-TiO2 growth condition (about 8.2¡Ñ10-6 A/cm2). It suggests that this growth method can reduce the leakage current density.

The area of advanced gate dielectrics has gained considerable attention recently, and there are significant leakage current and reliability concerns for oxy-nitride in this regime. So it¡¦s an important business to use alternate high-k dielectrics instead of oxy-nitride. Titanium dieoxide shows a high dielectric constant for dielectric applications. Besides, strontium can create additional oxygen vacancies that can enhance dielectric constant. In this study, we prepared SrTiO3 film by liquid phase deposition which is a novel material considered to have high dielectric constant. From several characteristic measurements, we found that SrTiO3 with exhibiting higher dielectric constant and well interface state which is very promising candidates to instead of titanium dieoxide. The physical and chemical properties of SrTiO3 films by means of several measuring instruments, including Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), secondary ion spectrometer (SIMS), and X-Ray diffractometer (XRD). An Al / SrTiO3 / Si metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structure was used for the electrical measurements. To improve the electrical properties, we investigated the characteristics of SrTiO3 films after annealing in oxygen, nitrous oxide, and nitrogen ambient. Including the variations of thickness, structure, dielectric constant, and leakage current were discussed in this work.

In this thesis, we use reactive RF magnetron sputtering to deposit zinc oxide (ZnO) buffer layer and main layer on SiO2/Si substrate at room temperature. After various annealing treatments, the ZnO nanowires can be obtained. The effects of buffer layer on the crystallization of ZnO main layer and the zinc-to-oxygen ratio in the main layer on the growth of the ZnO nanowires are analyzed by PL, SEM, XRD and EDS. Finally, the growth mechanism of the ZnO nanowires is investigated by various annealing temperatures. According to the experimental results, surplus zinc in the main layer is necessary for the ZnO nanowires growth. When the annealing temperature is higher than the melting point of zinc, it will melt and be extruded onto thin film surface as a result of the thermal stress. As soon as the melting zinc on the film surface reacts with the oxygen in the air, ZnO nanowires can be obtained. The optimum ZnO nanowires which possess better morphology and high density are revealed by conventional thermal annealing at 600¢J for 90 minutes.

Recently, there has been increasing demands for high dielectric materials to replace SiO2 for high-density dynamic random access memories with ultralarge scale integration. TiO2 and BaTiO3 are very promising insulators for applications to DRAMs, as they exhibit higher dielectric constant.The growths of TiO2 and BaTiO3 thin films on (100) silicon are studied by MOCVD using Ti(i-OC3H7)4, Ba(DPM)2(tetraene)2 and N2O as precursors. The growth was performed in a cold wall horizontal system in the temperature range of 350~700¢J. The growth rates of TiO2 and BaTiO3 films are affected by the Ti flow rate, growth temperature and reactor pressure. The structures of TiO2 and BaTiO3 films are polycrystalline by X-ray diffraction examinations. The dielectric constant of as-grown TiO2 can reach 85 and BaTiO3 can reach 300 derived by C-V curves with the contact area 3.14¡Ñ10-4 cm2. In addition, the influences of postannealing treatment under an O2 and N2 ambient with different annealing temperature and time on the structural and electrical properties of as-grown TiO2 films will be also studied. However, TiO2 and BaTiO3 films have columnar structures acted the paths of leakage current. We use thermal annealing to reduce the leakage current. In the future, to enhance the dielectric constant and reduce the leakage current of the films is the goal in our study.

In recent years, there has been increasing demands for high dielectric materials to replace SiO2 for high-density dynamic random access memories with ultra large scale integration (ULSI). As the dimensions of the charge storage node decrease in high-density dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), TiO2 and BaTiO3 are very promising candidates for applications with exhibiting higher dielectric constant, high refractive index and high chemical stability. The growth of TiO2 and BaTiO3 thin films on various substrates i.e. (100) silicon¡B(100) GaAs¡B(100) InP and (100) MgO are studied by MOCVD using Ti(i-OC3H7)4, Ba(DPM)2, N2O and O2 as precursors. The growth was performed in a cold wall horizontal system in the temperature range of 280~750¢J. The growth rates and structure of TiO2 and BaTiO3 films are affected by the substrate temperature and reactor pressure, etc. The phase transition properties of TiO2 were studied via X-ray diffraction measurements. X-ray diffraction examination shows that phase transition of TiO2 films are at the same temperature of 450 oC on different substrates. Phase-pure rutile is obtained down to 450¢J on InP (100) and GaAs (100), while phase-pure anatase is obtained up to 450¢Jon MgO (100). The optical and electrical properties are associated with the film structures. TiO2 single phase films with rutile (110) orientation were successfully grown on InP (100) at 500¢J. In-plane epitaxial relationship of anatase TiO2 (100) // MgO (100) is present between 300¢J and 375¢J. In addition, the influences of substrate temperature and oxidizer on the structural and electrical properties of BaTiO3 films will be also studied. However, TiO2 and BaTiO3 films have columnar structures acted the paths of leakage current resulting low dielectric constant. We use thermal annealing to improve the quality of TiO2 with respect to leakage current density and dielectric constant. Dielectric constants of annealed TiO2 films were as high as 110.08. Leakage current density reduced to 5 ¡Ñ 10-5 A/cm2. In the future, to improve the crystal structure of the films is the goal in our study.

Fully conjugated coil-like polymer poly-(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and aromatic heterocyclic copolymer poly[2,6-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta-[2,1-b;3,4-b¡¬]- dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole] (PCPDTBT) were applied separately as donors mixed with derivatized carbon fullerence [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) serving as an acceptor. Single layer photovoltaic cells of ITO/ PEDOT:PSS/polymer:PC61BM/LiF/Al were fabricated to study photovoltaic effect of layer thickness, thermal annealing, composition variance, and processing solvent. At a P3HT:PC61BM weight ratio of 1:1, the thermally annealed photovoltaic cells achieved a conversion efficiency (£bp) of 4.58 % from enhanced contact between cathode and active layer. At a PCPDTBT:PC61BM weight ratio of 1:1.25, the best £bp was 2.62 %. The efficiency difference was due to PCPDTBT:PC61BM was highly phase separated preventing the formation of conductive interpenetrating network to facilitate charge transport. Its device fill factor was limited to be 38 %. Under the same spin coating speed, solutions of different PC61BM concentration would yield different spun film thickness leading to large change in conversion efficiency (£bp). At a constant active layer thickness, £bp tended to be stable indicating that £bp was affected more by the layer thickness than by PC61BM concentration. A layer of mixing P3HT: PCPDTBT: PC61BM would expand the absorption range from visible to near infrared. However, an increased PCPDTBT concentration did not help £bp. This is due to charge transport imbalance between P3HT and PCPDTBT leading to an £bp less than those of individual blends with PC61BM. Device £bp was consistently higher for using a solvent with a boiling point higher than polymer glass transition temperature (Tg).

The area of advanced gate dielectrics has gained considerable attention recently because semiconductor technology roadmaps predict for less than 2 nm equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) for next 10 years, and there are significant leakage current and reliability concerns for oxy-nitride in this regime. So it¡¦s an important business to use alternate high-k dielectrics instead of oxy-nitride. Titanium silicon oxide shows a low leakage current with a high dielectric constant for dielectric applications. Besides, barium doping can create additional oxygen vacancies that can enhance dielectric constant. In this study, we prepared barium doped titanium silicon by liquid phase deposition which is a novel material considered to have intermediate properties of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide. From several characteristic measurements, we found that barium doped titanium silicon oxide with exhibiting higher dielectric constant, low leakage current and well interface state which is very promising candidates to instead of titanium silicon oxide. The physical and chemical properties of barium doped titanium silicon oxide films by means of several measuring instruments, including Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), secondary ion spectrometer (SIMS), and X-Ray diffractometer (XRD). An Al / Ba doped titanium silicon oxide / Si metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor structure was used for the electrical measurements. The static dielectric constant of the O2-annealed barium doped titanium silicon oxide film can reach about 22.3. In addition, it has well leakage current density of 2.6 ¡Ñ 10-6 A/cm2 at 5 MV/cm with the equivalent oxide thickness 1.27 nm (optical thickness of 7.3 nm). It has high potential for dielectric applications.

This Masters thesis investigates the effects of post growth rapid thermal annealing on colloidal CdTe nanoparticles. This novel process has not previously been applied to colloidal nanoparticles. It is found that rapid thermally annealing with temperatures up to 400°C, the number of defect bonds in the semiconductor core will decrease and the zincblende structural phase will prevail. These findings are identified using Raman spectroscopy enhanced in a liquid core waveguide and corroborated using a variety of other analysis techniques. What is also important is that while the semiconductor core is changing, the optical characteristics of the material remain nominally unchanged. Additionally, a circulatory peristaltic pump system that is suitable for future in situ monitoring was developed and used to investigate the length effects of Teflon capillary tubes as a liquid core waveguide for Raman spectroscopy.

This Masters thesis investigates the effects of post growth rapid thermal annealing on colloidal CdTe nanoparticles. This novel process has not previously been applied to colloidal nanoparticles. It is found that rapid thermally annealing with temperatures up to 400°C, the number of defect bonds in the semiconductor core will decrease and the zincblende structural phase will prevail. These findings are identified using Raman spectroscopy enhanced in a liquid core waveguide and corroborated using a variety of other analysis techniques. What is also important is that while the semiconductor core is changing, the optical characteristics of the material remain nominally unchanged. Additionally, a circulatory peristaltic pump system that is suitable for future in situ monitoring was developed and used to investigate the length effects of Teflon capillary tubes as a liquid core waveguide for Raman spectroscopy.

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