Low Leakage Current Metal–Insulator–Metal Device Based on a Beryllium Oxide Insulator Created by a Two-Step Spin-Coating Method as a Novel Type of Modified Pechini Synthesis

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 2)

Authors have improved the quality of presentation of results, with main focus of the BeO as a candiatate for future application in the form of metal oxide, insulator, and dielectric layer. Also an insight on the morphology and its impact on the leakgae current has been explained in detail. The manuscript can be accepted in the present form.

Author Response

Response: Thank you for your comments about and affirmation of our work.

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 3)

The authors have improved the manuscript and accepted it in the present form. 

Author Response

Response: Thank you for your comments about and affirmation of our work. 

Reviewer 3 Report (New Reviewer)

Manuscript’s title: Low leakage current metal-insulator-metal device based on aberyllium oxide insulator created by a two-step spin-coating method as a novel type of modified Pechini synthesis.

Manuscript’s authors: Young Pyo Jeon1,†, Dongpyo Hong1,†, Sang-hwa Lee1,†, Eun Jung Lee1, Tae Woong Cho1, Do Yeon Kim2, Chae Hyeon Kim3, JuSang Park1, Young Jun Kim1, Young Joon Yoo1,*, Sang Yoon Park1,*

 

 

Comments and recommendations:

The authors in this paper have introduced a two-step spin-coating method to manufacture a BeO thin film based on a modified Pechini synthesis process. The surface morphology and the crystal structure of BeO thin films were observed depending on the citric acid/beryllium sulfate ratio and the sintering temperature, respectively. Some interesting results have been also reported in the paper, and the authors declare that those results can assist researchers in the areas of morphology control strategies, phase transfer theories, and applications that utilize BeO thin film manufactured by a solution process. This paper has some merits that could be of interest to the reader, however, a minor revision is needed in order to be suitable for publication.

Comments and suggestions are listed as follows:

 

1.         In the Abstract, could you emphasize the difference between your work and other studies reported on litterateurs? What have you introduced into your system that makes it novel?

2.         The introduction is well-written, so there are no issues there.

3.         In the method section “Modified Pechini synthesis by spin-coating”, could you add references that supports the process you follow?

4. You mentioned the following in the method section” After the manufacturing of the BeO thin film, patterned Ti and Au to form an electrode were deposited to thicknesses of 20 nm and 80 nm “, could you elaborate on how the thickness was measured/determined?

9.         Fig 1, the font size of the fig description is small, could you make it bigger or clarify?

Not sure why some part of the results is highlighted in yellow. Is it the correction you made based on previous feedback from reviewers?

10. Reference is needed for page 6 of the results. The part above Fig 4.

11. you mention the following”  the bandgap values of the BeO layers at higher sintering temperatures were slightly larger than those at a lower sintering temperature”, can you state the reason for such an observation?

12. Can you add in the conclusion the potential application for your system?

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thank you very much for your consideration of our manuscript for possible publication in Electronics. We really appreciate that the reviewers and the editor read our manuscript so carefully and provided insightful comments and suggestions to make the paper more solid and convincing. We have revised our manuscript according to the helpful comments of the reviewers and the editor 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report (New Reviewer)

The authors have presented the growth of BeO thin films with low leakage current by a modified Pechini synthesis. The surface morphologies have been confirmed by SEM and XRD patterns have shown its good crystal characteristics. The chemical bounding and composition were checked by XPS and showed a reasonable result. A lateral MIM structure with a gap about 150 μm was prepared to check its leakage current. But the result show that only the BeO thin film annealed at 1300 ℃ has low leakage current. For an insulating material the breakdown electric field is an important parameter. I suggest that the authors should check it and give some discussions about that. Most part of this manuscript is very clear but some characters in Figure 1 (the lowest part of figure 1) are too small and fuzzy for reading. After these minor defects and suggestion have been checked, I recommend this manuscript can be accepted for publication.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your consideration of our manuscript for possible publication in Electronics. We really appreciate that the reviewers and the editor read our manuscript so carefully and provided insightful comments and suggestions to make the paper more solid and convincing. 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

1-      The title of paper is not clear, effect of surface morphology on which subject? It should be re-written.

2-      The authors should use FTIR and TGA measurement for the ethylene glycol (Organic) and compare the two different formation process to each other.

3-      Conclusion is not clear.

4-      The English of paper needs reviewing.

Reviewer 2 Report

Authors have presented the results related to the effect of two-step spin coating method (modified Pechini synthesis route) on surface morphology and crystallinity of beryllium oxide thin film. The work is well investigated and presented from synthesis and characterization prespective, however the reviewer has opinion that the work is more suited for a materials journal, instead to MDPI Electronics. 

Reviewer 3 Report

 

 Young et. al. synthesized the BeO Nanofilm and study the structural and electrical properties and also described the effect of temperatures. The manuscript is suggested to be accepted after the following issues are addressed;

1)      What’s about the thickness of BeO film? The authors should mention the thickness of the film and confirm with some characterization, such as AFM

2)      There are some extra peaks in XRD data. The authors did not give any information about that one.

3)       In figure 2, the resolution of the SEM images is not good. It is very difficult to observe the surface morphology. The authors should use high-resolution SEM or TEM images to study the films.

4)      What about the pinholes and defects in the films? Because these parameters are directly related to the leakage current.

5)      The author should draw an energy band diagram to explain the metal-BeO junction in leakage current.

6)      The authors did not provide any information about the active channel, such as length and width etc. Secondly, how the BeO film etched

7)      The authors should add an explanation how the leakage current is changed with the temperature.

8)        What is the effect of annealing temperature on the interface of BeO and metal junction and work function of BeO