Journal Article

Water-Soluble Sacrificial Layer of Srsub.3Alsub.2Osub.6 for the Synthesis of Free-Standing Doped Ceria and Strontium Titanate

Sanna, Simone, Tebano, Antonello, Krymskaya, Olga

2025

Overview

Epitaxial layers of water-soluble Sr[sub.3]Al[sub.2]O[sub.6] were fabricated as sacrificial layers on SrTiO[sub.3] (100) single-crystal substrates using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. This approach envisages the possibility of developing a new generation of micro-Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and micro-Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cells for portable energy conversion and storage devices. The sacrificial layer technique offers a pathway to engineering free-standing membranes of electrolytes, cathodes, and anodes with total thicknesses on the order of a few nanometers. Furthermore, the ability to etch the SAO sacrificial layer and transfer ultra-thin oxide films from single-crystal substrates to silicon-based circuits opens possibilities for creating a novel class of mixed electronic and ionic devices with unexplored potential. In this work, we report the growth mechanism and structural characterization of the SAO sacrificial layer. Epitaxial samarium-doped ceria films, grown on SrTiO3 substrates using Sr[sub.3]Al[sub.2]O[sub.6] as a buffer layer, were successfully transferred onto silicon wafers. This demonstration highlights the potential of the sacrificial layer method for integrating high-quality oxide thin films into advanced device architectures, bridging the gap between oxide materials and silicon-based technologies.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Batteries / Cerium / Dielectric films / Electric properties / Epitaxy / Force and energy / Fuel cell industry / Fuel cells / Silicon / Thin films