Indian Patent granted for developing a laser-based process to reduce the crystallization temperature of functional oxide thin films by 400C

An Indian patent is granted to Sr. Professor K.C. James Raju and his team at CASEST, School of Physics for an invention “LASER BASED METHOD TO CRYSTALLIZE FERROELECTRIC THIN FILM AT 300ºC TEMPERATURES FOR TUNABLE MICROWAVE DEVICES” This is a laser-based process by which they could reduce the crystallization temperature of some functional thin film materials meant for microwave device applications from 700 to 300C.

This makes the process compatible with a variety of hitherto forbidden situations which are very important for realizing important microwave devices for next generation communication technologies which require tunable microwave devices for electronically reconfiguring communication networks. Some of these devices work by exploiting some unique material properties exhibited by select materials only in their crystalline and thin film form.

If that temperature is high, that functional material can not be integrated with substrates that cannot withstand that temperature. Here a laser-based process helped by non-thermal route to achieve crystallization.

Paper published at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aelm.202000905