Evaluation of electrical characteristics of the layer-by-layer self-assembled films after the various annealing temperatures

Layer-by-layer self-assembled multilayer films were prepared by the alternate deposition of poly(allylamine hydrochloride)(PAH) and poly(acrylic acid)(PAA). DC current-voltage characteristics of Au/(PAH/PAA)₁₅₀/Au (MIM) sandwich structure devices after the annealing treatment of several temperatures were measured. It was found that the resistivity of the MIM devices drastically increased by annealing at the temperature which is higher than the glass transition temperature (T_g) from the self-assembled multilayer films. We consider that it is very important to remove the moisture from the inside of the self-assembled multilayer films to obtain the higher resistivity. And it was ascertained by Fourier transform infrared radiation spectroscopy measurement that the structural change in the self-assembled multilayer films, which was induced by micro-Brownian motion in the vicinity of the T_g, also affected the higher resistivity.