The basic and applied science of electroceramic thin films constitute one of the fast interdisciplinary evolving fields of research worldwide. A major driving force for the extensive research being performed in many Universities and Industrial and National Laboratories is the promise of applications of electroceramic thin ftlms into a whole new generation of advanced microdevices that may revolutionize various technologies and create new multibillion dollar markets. Properties of electroceramic thin films that are being intensively investigated include electrical conductivity, ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, electro-optic activity, and magnetism. Perhaps the most publicized application of electroceramics is that related to the new high temperature superconducting (HTSC) materials, which has been extensively discussed in numerous national and international conferences, including NATO/ASI's and ARW's. Less glamorously publicized applications, but as important as those of HTSC materials, are those involving the other properties mentioned above, which were the subject of this ARW. Investigation on ferroelectric thin films has experienced a tremendous development in recent years due to the advent of sophisticated film synthesis techniques and a substantial improvement in the understanding of the related materials science and implementation of films in various novel devices. A major driving force behind the progress in this interdisciplinary field of research is the promise of the development of a new generation of non-volatile memories with long endurance and fast access time that can overcome the problems encountered in the semiconductor non-volatile memory of ferroelectric materials as high technology.

Autorentext
Rainer Waser is Professor of Physics at the faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the RWTH Aachen University and Director at the Institute of Solid State Research (IFF) at the HGF Research Center Jülich, Germany. In 1984, he received his PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Darmstadt, and worked at the Philips Research Laboratory, Aachen, until he was appointed professor in 1992. His research group is focused on fundamental aspects of electronic materials and on such integrated devices as non-volatile memories, specifically ferroelectric memories, logic devices, sensors and actuators.

Inhalt
Pulsed laser Ablation-Deposition and Characterization of Ferroelectric Metal Oxide Heterostructures.- Low Energy Ion Bombardment Induced Effects in Multi-Component Electroceramic Thin Films.- Growth and Properties of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 PbTiO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition.- Wavelength Dependence in Pulsed Laser Deposition of ZnO Thin Films.- Organometallic Chemical Vapor Deposition of Lead Zirconate Titanate.- Alkoxide Precursors for Ferroelectric Thin Films.- Deposition of Undoped and Doped Pb (Mg,Nb)O3 PbTiO3, PbZrxTi1?xO3, Alkaline Earth Titanate and Layered Perovskiie Thin Films on Pt and Conductive Oxide Electrodes by Spin On Processing: Correlation of Growth and Electrical Properties.- Relationships Between Ferroelectric 90° Domain Formation and Electrical Properties of Chemically Prepared Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films.- Characterization of Sol-Gel Pb(ZrxTi1?x) Thin Film Capacitors with Hybrid (Pt, RuO2) Electrodes.- Organically Modified Sol-Gel Precursors for Ferroelectric Deposition by Spin Coating.- Preparation and Properties of Calcium Modified Lead Titanate Thin Films.- Microstructure of Lead Titanate-Based Thin Films.- Stoichiometry and Phase Structure of Sol-Gel Derived Pzt-Based Thin Films.- Liquid Phase Epitaxy of NA1?yKyTa1?xNbxO3 on KTaO3 Substrates.- Pulse Switching Characterization of Ferroelectric Thin Films.- Polarization, Conduction, and Breakdown in Nonferroelectric Perovskite THIN Films.- Anomalous Logarithmic Dependencies in D.C. Breakdown of Ferroelectric Thin Films.- The Shape of the Hysteresis Curve of Ferroelectric Single Crystals and Ceramics.- Fast Transient Measurements on Electroceramic Thin Films.- The Influence of Dopants on Tthe Leakage Current in Pzt Thin-Film Ferroelectric Capacitors.-Photo-Induced Storage and Imprinting in (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 Thin Films.- Depletion, Depolarizing Effects and Switching in Ferroelectric Thin Films.- Nonstoichiometry, Defects, and Charge Transport Inpzt.- X-Ray Diffraction Line Profile Analysis of ZnO Thin Films Deposited on Al-SiO2-Si Substrates.- Electron Emission from Ferroelectrics.- Integration of Ferroelectric Thin Films for Memory Applications.- Processing and Device Issues of High Permittivity Materials for Drams.- Ferroelectric Thin Films for Capacitor and Sensor Applications.- Piezoelectric and Hsrroelectric Devices: Potential and Issues.- Integrated Ferroelectric Microelectromechanical Systems.- Fundamental Properties and Some Applications of Sol-Gel Ceramic Thin Films.- SrTiO3 Thin Films for Oxygen Sensors.