Spin coating machine can be used to deposit epitaxial films of inorganic materials such as zinc oxide (ZnO), lead (II) iodide (PbI 2), sodium chloride (NaCl) and cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr 3) onto a variety of single-crystal and single-crystal–like substrates. The spin coating process can use either solutions of the material or precursors to the material.
Epitaxial films using spin coating machine for flexible electronics, displays, and solar cells
The spin coating of epitaxial films offers an inexpensive and readily accessible route to single crystal like materials that should exhibit superior electronic and optical properties owing to the absence of high-angle grain boundaries.The films were deposited from solutions of the material or of the material that readily converted to the final product with only volatile side products. The precursor route used for depositing ZnO from an ammine complex should be applicable to other metal oxides.
Spin coating also offers two avenues to highly ordered semiconductors for flexible electronics, displays, and solar cells. The materials can be spin coated onto flexible single crystal like metal foils or they can be deposited by more conventional vapor deposition techniques onto spin-coated water soluble salts such as NaCl that serve as sacrificial templates for epitaxial lift off of free-standing semiconductor foils.
Reference: DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw6184, Science Magazine Digital