Next generation heterointegration of ion sliced lithium niobate nanofilms enabled by novel characterization tools

The project “H-iSlice” is dedicated to advanced research on ion-slicing heterointegration of monocrystalline Lithium Niobate (LNO) nanofilms onto silicon substrates. The influence of various production process parameters on the reliability, stability, and reproducibility as well as on the attainable piezoelectric and thermal material parameters of the LNO nanofilms will be studied extensively. For measuring the piezoelectric and thermal material parameters in a fast and accurate way, a novel AFSEM^TM-based platform (a combination of an atomic force microscope and a scanning electron microscope), custom-tailored microprobes, and in situ characterization methods will be devised. The all-embracing goal of the project “H-iSlice” is the fabrication of Si-supported functionalized LNO nanofilms with tailored crystal cuts that are characterized by a high degree of crystallinity, outstanding piezoelectric coefficients, and well-determined thermal properties in order to pave the way for completely new fields of application.