Ferroelectric oxides on silicon for new sensor devices

The proposed project will provide a new perspective for the growth and characterization of lead-free ferroelectric oxides with high piezoelectric and pyroelectric coefficients on silicon, produced by a technology compatible with integrated circuit technology and at lower temperatures than epitaxy. Furthermore, it will reveal opportunities for designing, implementing, and testing more efficient devices with higher resonant frequencies and improved sensor properties. The advantage is that the device's response can be combined in a "two-in-one" type - responding to changes in thermal energy and/or changes in kinetic energy - due to the combined pyro- and piezoelectric properties of the materials used. In this way, a multisensor device can be produced. The fundamental nature of the project is further enhanced by the possibility to study the method for differentiating the two effects when they occur simultaneously. The motivation for this project is to achieve improvement in the integration and microfabrication of lead-free ferroelectric thin films such as ZnO doped with Ga, BaTiO3 doped with SrO, and potassium niobate KNbO3 on silicon wafers, cantilevers, and membranes to improve their efficiency and performance in new sensor devices.