Maple direct write: A new approach to fabricate ferroelectric thin film devices in air at room temperature

Abstract

MAPLE Direct Write or MAPLE DW is a new direct writing technique which combines some of the major positive advantages of laser induced forward transfer and matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). This novel laser driven direct writing technique has demonstrated the deposition of metal, ceramic, and polymer materials in air and at room temperature and with sub-10 micron resolution for active and passive prototype circuit elements on planar and nonplanar substrates. Here, we have used MAPLE DW to synthesize ferroelectric devices for tunable microwave device applications. For ferroelectrics and the other functional materials, MAPLE DW can be used to investigate directly the properties of powder materials as a function of grain size, doping, and processing technique. The best properties obtained for Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ and BaTiO₃ films were dielectric constants of 40, with loss tangents of about 0.025 with ∽ 1% tuning.

Key Words:

• MAPLE DW
• LIFT
• MAPLE
• Excimer Laser
• Ribbon
• Grain Size
• Matrix