Deposition and Characterization of Al₂O₃ and BiFeO₃ Thin Films on Titanium Substrates for Tough MEMS Devices

Abstract

Insulator and piezoelectric thin films were deposited on titanium substrate, and characterized for application in tough MEMS tactile sensors. The titanium substrate was polished by buffing before the deposition of the thin films. An Al₂O₃ thin film was deposited as an insulator and showed good insulation characteristics on the polished titanium substrate. Piezoelectric BiFeO₃ thin films were prepared by RF sputtering. The XRD pattern of the BiFeO₃ thin film on the titanium substrate shows the presence of the ferroelectric phase. The polarization-electric field curve also shows a ferroelectric hysteresis loop. The results show that insulator and piezoelectric thin film can be formed on titanium substrate.