Planarization in Electrochemically Fabricated Nanodimensional Films

Recent demonstrations of electrochemical fabrication of nanodimensional, alternating metal and metal oxide films open a pathway to nanoscale templating with high-quality interfaces and high uniformity over macroscopic surface areas. Planarization during electrochemical oxidation is the critical enabling feature of this growth process. Here we present a theory and simulation of this planarization phenomenon applicable to a wide range of initial surface profiles and material systems. We describe the impact of different system parameters on the rate of planarization for both the exposed oxide surface and the internal metal oxide interface. Finally, we show that our simulations are consistent with experimental measurements of Ta 2 O 5 electrochemically grown on Ta thin films.