Solution-processed transparent PVP:HfO₂ hybrid dielectric films with low leakage current density and high k

Organic: inorganic hybrid dielectric materials have attracted significant attention owing to their capacity to integrate the mechanical and electrical characteristics of organic and inorganic components. This paper presents the deposition of high-performance polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP): hafnium oxide (HfO2) hybrid dielectric films at low temperature using the sol-gel method. Initially, the influence of precursor components on the surface morphology of single-component dielectric films was investigated. It is observed that the addition of FSO and acetic acid can result in smoother and more uniform surfaces for PVP and HfO2, respectively. Furthermore, based on these findings, we successfully prepared PVP:HfO2 hybrid dielectric films with surface roughness below 1 nm, high transmittance above 95% in the visible range (400-760 nm), and wide optical bandgaps exceeding 5.3 eV. The formation of PVP:HfO2 cross-linked network was identified through FTIR analysis, and a mechanism was proposed. Moreover, MIM devices were fabricated to determine the insulating performance of dielectric films. We found that the PVP:HfO2 hybrid dielectric films exhibit a significant reduction in leakage current density and a substantial increase in relative dielectric constant compared to the single-component dielectric films. In addition, with the increase in PVP concentration, the leakage current density first decreases and then increases, while the relative dielectric constant first increases and then decreases. After optimization, 0.5 wt% PVP:HfO2 hybrid dielectric film exhibits a low leakage current density of 5.89x10-8 A/cm2 @1 MV/cm and a high relative dielectric constant of 32.54. PVP:HfO2 hybrid dielectric films exhibit tremendous potential for applications in the realm of high-performance transparent electronic devices.