Properties of Atomic Layer Deposited Nanolaminates of Zirconium and Cobalt Oxides

Abstract

Five-layer crystalline thin film structures were formed, consisting of ZrO2 and Co3O4 alternately grown on Si(100) substrates by atomic layer deposition at 300◦C using ZrCl4 and Co(acac)3 as the metal precursors and ozone as the oxygen precursor. The performance of the laminate films was dependent on the relative content of constituent oxide layers. The magnetization in these films was nonlinear, saturative, and with very weak coercive fields. Electrical measurements revealed the formation of significant polarization versus external field loops and implied some tendency toward memristive behavior.