| Solid-state amorphous materials show amazing promise in thin-film electronics. The interface-to-bulk ratio of thin films makes interfacial chemistries of these systems of utmost importance. Thin films of amorphous metals, dielectrics and semiconductors have novel chemistries that are not only based upon their elemental constituent makeup, but also based upon the method with which the amorphous material is deposited and treated after deposition. The chemical attributes unique to amorphous, thin-film systems are defined primarily through the utilization of solution-processed aluminum oxide phosphate dielectric material and Zr40Cu35Al15Ni10 metal. The chemical findings wrought via the observation of interactions between amorphous metal-dielectric systems are applied to semiconductor/insulator systems to illustrate the use of the same general chemical principles applying to diverse problems. Finally in the appendices, the systems are utilized to create extremely-thin tunneling electronic devices and optical metamaterials as well as innovative classroom material. |
