Methods are provided herein for forming transition metal oxide thin films, preferably Group IVB metal oxide thin films, by atomic layer deposition. The metal oxide thin films can be deposited at high temperatures using metalorganic reactants. Metalorganic reactants comprising two ligands, at least one of which is a cycloheptatriene or cycloheptatrienyl (CHT) ligand are used in some embodiments. The metal oxide thin films can be used, for example, as dielectric oxides in transistors, flash devices, capacitors, integrated circuits, and other semiconductor applications.

Methods are provided herein for forming transition metal oxide thin films, preferably Group IVB metal oxide thin films, by atomic layer deposition. The metal oxide thin films can be deposited at high temperatures using metalorganic reactants. Metalorganic reactants comprising two ligands, at least one of which is a cycloheptatriene or cycloheptatrienyl (CHT) ligand are used in some embodiments. The metal oxide thin films can be used, for example, as dielectric oxides in transistors, flash devices, capacitors, integrated circuits, and other semiconductor applications.

Provided are a ferroelectric material and an electronic device including same, the ferroelectric material including: a first domain including a first polarization layer which is polarized in a first direction and a first spacer layer disposed adjacent to the first polarization layer; a second domain including a second polarization layer which is polarized in a second direction distinct from the first direction and a second spacer layer disposed adjacent to the second polarization layer; and a structural layer, which is disposed at a domain wall between the first domain and the second domain, and belongs to/has atoms arranged according to a Pbcn space group.

Provided are a ferroelectric material and an electronic device including same, the ferroelectric material including: a first domain including a first polarization layer which is polarized in a first direction and a first spacer layer disposed adjacent to the first polarization layer; a second domain including a second polarization layer which is polarized in a second direction distinct from the first direction and a second spacer layer disposed adjacent to the second polarization layer; and a structural layer, which is disposed at a domain wall between the first domain and the second domain, and belongs to/has atoms arranged according to a Pbcn space group.

A ceramic waveguide includes: a doped metal oxide ceramic core layer; and at least one cladding layer comprising the metal oxide surrounding the core layer, such that the core layer includes an erbium dopant and at least one rare earth metal dopant being: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, or oxides thereof, or at least one non-rare earth metal dopant comprising zirconium or oxides thereof. Also included is a quantum memory including: at least one doped polycrystalline ceramic optical device with the ceramic waveguide and a method of fabricating the ceramic waveguide.

Provided is a method for forming a ferroelectric film of a metal oxide having a fluorite-type structure at a low temperature of lower than 300° C., and a ferroelectric film obtained at a low temperature. The present invention provides a production method of a ferroelectric film comprising a crystalline metal oxide having a fluorite-type structure of an orthorhombic crystal phase, which comprises using a film sputtering method comprising sputtering a target at a substrate temperature of lower than 300° C., to deposit on the substrate a film of a metal oxide which is capable of having a fluorite-type structure of an orthorhombic crystal phase, and having a subsequent thermal history of said film of lower than 300° C.; or applying an electric field to said film after said deposition or after said thermal history of lower than 300° C. Also provided are the ferroelectric film, which is formed on an organic substrate, glass, or metal substrate, which can be used only at low temperatures, and a ferroelectric element and a ferroelectric functional element or device using the ferroelectric film.

Provided is a method for forming a ferroelectric film of a metal oxide having a fluorite-type structure at a low temperature of lower than 300° C., and a ferroelectric film obtained at a low temperature. The present invention provides a production method of a ferroelectric film comprising a crystalline metal oxide having a fluorite-type structure of an orthorhombic crystal phase, which comprises using a film sputtering method comprising sputtering a target at a substrate temperature of lower than 300° C., to deposit on the substrate a film of a metal oxide which is capable of having a fluorite-type structure of an orthorhombic crystal phase, and having a subsequent thermal history of said film of lower than 300° C.; or applying an electric field to said film after said deposition or after said thermal history of lower than 300° C. Also provided are the ferroelectric film, which is formed on an organic substrate, glass, or metal substrate, which can be used only at low temperatures, and a ferroelectric element and a ferroelectric functional element or device using the ferroelectric film.

A powder of melted particles, more than 95% by number of the particles exhibiting a circularity of greater than or equal to 0.85. The powder including more than 99.8% of a rare earth metal oxide and/or of hafnium oxide and/or of an aluminum oxide, as percentage by mass based on the oxides. The powder has a median particle size D.sub.50 of less than 15 μm, a 90 percentile of the particle sizes, D.sub.90, of less than 30 μm, and a size dispersion index (D.sub.90−D.sub.10)/D.sub.10 of less than 2, and a relative density of greater than 90%. The D.sub.n percentiles of the powder are the particle sizes corresponding to the percentages, by number, of n %, on the cumulative distribution curve of the size of the particles in the powder and the particle sizes are classified by increasing order.

A powder of melted particles, more than 95% by number of the particles exhibiting a circularity of greater than or equal to 0.85. The powder including more than 99.8% of a rare earth metal oxide and/or of hafnium oxide and/or of an aluminum oxide, as percentage by mass based on the oxides. The powder has a median particle size D.sub.50 of less than 15 μm, a 90 percentile of the particle sizes, D.sub.90, of less than 30 μm, and a size dispersion index (D.sub.90−D.sub.10)/D.sub.10 of less than 2, and a relative density of greater than 90%. The D.sub.n percentiles of the powder are the particle sizes corresponding to the percentages, by number, of n %, on the cumulative distribution curve of the size of the particles in the powder and the particle sizes are classified by increasing order.

A thin film structure includes a first conductive layer, a dielectric material layer on the first conductive layer, and an upper layer on the dielectric material layer. The dielectric material layer including Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 satisfies at least one of a first condition and a second condition. In the first condition the dielectric material layer is formed to a thickness of 5 nm or less and in the second condition the x in Hf.sub.xA.sub.1-xO.sub.2 is in a range of 0.3 to 0.5.