High-throughput methods to optically functional oxide and oxide–nitride materials

Abstract

High-throughput methods have been used for the synthesis and preliminary characterisation of optically functional ceramic oxide and oxide–nitride materials on an alumina substrate. Gel routes have been investigated for their viability when used with a Teflon masking system. Three different systems and deposition methodologies have been studied. The first system uses a polymer complex method based on citric acid and ethylene glycol in aqueous media to create arrays of the formula Ca_1−xSr_xZr_1−yCr_yO₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1, in 0.2 steps; 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.24, in 0.03 steps) annealed at temperatures of 600, 800, 1000 and 1200 °C. A metal alkoxide sol–gel method using an acetic acid–acetic anhydride solvent has been employed to produce arrays of oxides and oxide–nitrides with the general formulae SrZr_1−xTa_xO₃ and SrZr_1−xTa_xO_2+xN_1−x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1, in 0.2 steps). Arrays of aluminium-doped zinc oxides, as potential transparent conducting oxides, have been produced through hydrolysis of a zinc acetate–ethylene glycol precursor using aluminium nitrate solutions while tin-doped indium oxides were obtained by direct evaporation and calcination of indium and tin solutions. Conversion of these oxide arrays to oxide–nitride arrays was carried out by reaction of the deposited SrZr_1−xTa_xO₃ materials under high purity flowing ammonia. Initial characterisation of arrays has been undertaken using powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy.