Room-Temperature Surface-Activated Atomic Layer Deposition of Aluminium Oxide

Room-Temperature Surface-Activated Atomic Layer Deposition of Aluminium Oxide

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Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a powerful technique for the deposition of thin films with precise control over the film thickness and composition. ALD is particularly useful for depositing materials with high surface area-to-volume ratios, such as aluminium oxide (Al2O3). This makes ALD an attractive choice for the fabrication of nanostructures and other devices with complex geometries.

Room-temperature surface-activated ALD (RT-SALD) is a relatively new technique that has been developed to enable the deposition of Al2O3 at room temperature. RT-SALD is based on the use of a surface-activated precursor, such as trimethylaluminium (TMA), which is adsorbed onto the substrate surface and then reacted with an oxidant, such as ozone or water vapor, to form Al2O3. This process can be repeated multiple times to build up the desired film thickness.

The main advantage of RT-SALD is that it allows for the deposition of Al2O3 at room temperature, which eliminates the need for expensive high-temperature processing equipment. This makes RT-SALD a more cost-effective and energy-efficient process compared to traditional ALD techniques. Additionally, RT-SALD can be used to deposit Al2O3 films with excellent conformality and uniformity, making it suitable for a variety of applications, such as microelectronics, optical coatings, and biomedical devices.

RT-SALD also has some disadvantages. For example, the deposition rate is relatively slow compared to other ALD techniques, which can limit its use in high-throughput applications. Additionally, the process is sensitive to substrate contamination, which can lead to poor film quality and reliability.

Overall, RT-SALD is a promising technique for the deposition of Al2O3 films at room temperature. It offers several advantages over traditional ALD techniques, such as lower cost and energy consumption, and excellent conformality and uniformity. However, its slow deposition rate and sensitivity to substrate contamination should be taken into consideration when selecting this technique for a particular application.

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