$ \mathrm{Sr}_{4}\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{7}$: A New Sacrificial Layer with High Water Dissolution Rate for the Synthesis of Freestanding Oxide Membranes

TL;DR

This paper introduces Sr4Al2O7 as a new sacrificial layer with a high water dissolution rate, enabling faster and more efficient fabrication of freestanding oxide membranes for electronic applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Sr4Al2O7 dissolves about ten times faster than previous layers, significantly improving the membrane fabrication process.

Findings

Sr4Al2O7 has a dissolution rate ten times higher than Sr3Al2O6.

High dissolution rate linked to discrete Al-O networks and soluble Sr-O species.

Facilitates faster, wafer-scale production of freestanding oxide membranes.

Abstract

Freestanding perovskite oxide membranes have drawn great attention recently since they offer exceptional structural tunability and stacking ability, providing new opportunities in fundamental research and potential device applications in silicon-based semiconductor technology. Among different types of sacrificial layers, the $ \mathrm{(Ca, Sr, Ba)}_{3}\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{6}$ compounds are most widely used since they can be dissolved in water and prepare high-quality perovskite oxide membranes with clean and sharp surfaces and interfaces. However, the typical transfer process takes a long time (up to hours) in obtaining millimeter-size freestanding membranes, let alone realize wafer-scale samples with high yield. Here, we introduce a new member of the $ \mathrm{SrO-}\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ family,$ \mathrm{Sr}_{4}\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{7},$, and demonstrate its high dissolution rate, about 10 times higher than that of $ \mathrm{Sr}_{3}\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{6}$. The high-dissolution-rate of $ \mathrm{Sr}_{4}\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{7}$ is most likely related to the more discrete Al-O networks and higher concentration of water-soluble Sr-O species in this compound. Our work significantly facilitates the preparation of freestanding membranes and sheds light on the integration of multifunctional perovskite oxides in practical electronic devices.