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Dielectric property and self-repairing capability of silicon and titanium co-doped amorphous alumina thin films prepared by sol–gel technology

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Abstract

In this article, (Al1−0.02−xSi0.02Tix)2Oy (x = 0.2, 0.9 and 2%) thin films were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates using sol–gel technique. The dielectric properties of undoped and Si–Ti co-doped Al2O3 thin films were investigated. The leakage current of (Al0.971Si0.02Ti0.009)2Oy thin film is reduced by 2 orders of magnitude compared with Al2O3 film. Meanwhile, the modified sample exhibits the ultrahigh energy density of 14.01 J/cm3 under the breakdown strength of 647 MV/m, which is an enhancement of 11.26 J/cm3 over that of the undoped Al2O3 film. The improvement of dielectric properties is ascribed to the forming of Al–O–Si, Al–O–Ti bonds and the anodic oxidation of Ti3+, which could strengthen the stability of Al2O3 structure and self-repair the defects of the films under applied electric field. Another reason is that cation vacancies generated by Si–Ti co-doping could effectively prevent the formation of oxygen vacancies and decrease the breakdown probability of the films. This work provides a promising route to dielectric thin films materials for electrical energy storage applications.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61761136004) and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China through 973-project (Grant No. 2015CB654601). 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Functional Materials Research Laboratory, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, No. 4800 Caoan Road, Shanghai, 201804, China

    Qian Feng, Manwen Yao, Zhen Su & Xi Yao

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  1. Qian Feng
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  2. Manwen Yao
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Correspondence to Manwen Yao.

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Feng, Q., Yao, M., Su, Z. et al. Dielectric property and self-repairing capability of silicon and titanium co-doped amorphous alumina thin films prepared by sol–gel technology. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 29, 16581–16589 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-018-9751-3

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