Laser damage properties of TiO2/Al2O3 thin films grown by atomic layer deposition

Research on thin film deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for laser damage resistance is rare. In this paper, it has been used to deposit TiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) films at 110 °C and 280 °C on fused silica and BK7 substrates. Microstructure of the thin films was investigated by x-ray diffraction. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of samples was measured by a damage test system. Damage morphology was studied under a Nomarski differential interference contrast microscope and further checked under an atomic force microscope. Multilayers deposited at different temperatures were compared. The results show that the films deposited by ALD had better uniformity and transmission; in this paper, the uniformity is better than 99% over 100 mm Φ samples, and the transmission is more than 99.8% at 1064 nm. Deposition temperature affects the deposition rate and the thin film microstructure and further influences the LIDT of the thin films. As to the TiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) films, the LIDTs were 6.73±0.47 J/cm(2) and 6.5±0.46 J/cm(2) at 110 °C on fused silica and BK7 substrates, respectively. The LIDTs at 11 °C are notably better than 280 °C.     

Charge-trapping characteristics of Al2O3/Cu/Al2O3 nanolaminate structures prepared through atomic layer deposition

The nanolaminate Al2O3/Cu/Al2O3 structures were constructed on p-type Si (001) substrates using atomic layer deposition (ALD) process with the aim to fabricating nonvolatile charge-trap memories. Low temperature Cu thin layers were deposited through plasma-enhanced atomic layre depositon of Cu aminoalkoxide (Cu(dmamb)2) combined with hydrogen plasma and Al2O3 layers were prepared by thermal atomic layer deposition of trimethylaluminum (TMA) combined with H2O. Nonvolatile features were confirmed using capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The copper film functions as a charge-trapping layer and the Al2O3 thin layers were employed as tunneling and control oxide layers. Line shapes and binding energies of Cu metal and the thin layer of 6 nm Cu in nanolaminate structures were observed in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image. The V(FB) shift width of the Al2O3 (28 nm)/Cu (6 nm)/Al2O3 (4.2 nm)/Si laminate structure is found to be 4.75 V in voltage sweeping between -10 and +10 V, leading to the trap density of 1.68 x 10(18) cm(-3).     

Characteristics of nanocomposite ZrO2/Al2O3 films deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Nanocomposite ZrO2/Al2O3 (ZAO) films were deposited on Si by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition and the film characteristics including interfacial oxide formation, dielectric constant (k), and electrical breakdown strength were investigated without post-annealing process. In both the mixed and nano-laminated ZAO films, the thickness of the interfacial oxide layer (T(IL)) was considerably reduced compared to ZrO2 and Al2O3 films. The T(IL) was 0.8 nm in nano-composite films prepared at a mixing ratio (ZrO2:Al2O3) of 1:1. The breakdown strength and the leakage current level were greatly improved by adding Al2O3 as little as 7.9% compared to that of ZrO2 and were enhanced more with increasing content of Al2O3. The k of ZrO2 and mixed ZAO (Al2O3 7.9%) films were 20.0 and 16.5, respectively. These results indicate that the addition of Al2O3 to ZrO2 greatly improves the electrical properties with less cost of k compared to the addition of SiO2.     

X-ray mirrors on flexible polymer substrates fabricated by atomic layer deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques were used to fabricate W/Al₂O₃ superlattices with high X-ray reflectivity on flexible Kapton® polyimide and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) polymer substrates. Reflectivities of 78% and 74% at λ = 1.54 Å were measured for 6-bilayer W/Al₂O₃ superlattices on Kapton® polyimide and PEN, respectively. These excellent X-ray reflectivities are attributed to precise bilayer thicknesses and ultrasmooth interfaces obtained by ALD and smoothing of the initial polymer surface by an Al₂O₃ ALD layer. The conformal ALD film growth also produces correlated roughness that enhances the reflectivity. These W/Al₂O₃ superlattices on flexible polymers should be useful for ultralight and adjustable radius of curvature X-ray mirrors.     

Effects of Al concentration on microstructural characteristics and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films on Si substrates by atomic layer deposition

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films with various Al concentrations were synthesized on Si(001) substrates with native oxide layers by atomic layer deposition process. The effects of the Al concentration on the microstructural characteristics of the AZO thin films grown at 250 degrees C and the correlation between their microstructural characteristics and electrical properties of the AZO thin films were investigated by AFM, XRD, HRTEM and Hall measurements. The XRD and HRTEM results revealed that the crystallinity and electrical properties of the undoped ZnO thin films were enhanced by 2.48 at% Al doping. However, 12.62 at% Al doping induced the deterioration of their crystallinity and electrical properties due to the formation of nano-sized metallic Al clusters and randomly oriented ZnO-based nano-crystals. To enhance the electrical properties of the AZO thin films while maintaining their crystallinity and electrical properties, a moderate Al concentration has to be chosen under the solubility limit of Al in ZnO.     

Atomic layer deposition of HfO2 thin films and nanolayered HfO2–Al2O3–Nb2O5 dielectrics

Smooth, 4–6-nm thick hafnium oxide films were grown by atomic layer deposition from HfI₄ or HfCl₄ and H₂O on SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrates at 300 °C. Non-uniform films were obtained on hydrogen-terminated Si(1 0 0). The stoichiometry of the films corresponded to that of HfO₂. The films contained small amounts of residual chlorine and iodine. The films deposited on SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) were amorphous, but crystallized upon annealing at 1000 °C. In order to decrease the conductivity, the HfO₂ films were mixed with Al₂O₃, and to increase the capacitance, the films were mixed with Nb₂O₅. The capacitance–voltage curves of the Hf–Al–O mixture films showed hysteresis. The capacitance–voltage curves of HfO₂ films and mixtures of Hf–Al–Nb–O were hysteresis free.     

Al2O3 and TiO2 atomic layer deposition on copper for water corrosion resistance

Al(2)O(3) and TiO(2) atomic layer deposition (ALD) were employed to develop an ultrathin barrier film on copper to prevent water corrosion. The strategy was to utilize Al(2)O(3) ALD as a pinhole-free barrier and to protect the Al(2)O(3) ALD using TiO(2) ALD. An initial set of experiments was performed at 177 °C to establish that Al(2)O(3) ALD could nucleate on copper and produce a high-quality Al(2)O(3) film. In situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements verified that Al(2)O(3) ALD nucleated and grew efficiently on copper-plated quartz crystals at 177 °C using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water as the reactants. An electroplating technique also established that the Al(2)O(3) ALD films had a low defect density. A second set of experiments was performed for ALD at 120 °C to study the ability of ALD films to prevent copper corrosion. These experiments revealed that an Al(2)O(3) ALD film alone was insufficient to prevent copper corrosion because of the dissolution of the Al(2)O(3) film in water. Subsequently, TiO(2) ALD was explored on copper at 120 °C using TiCl(4) and water as the reactants. The resulting TiO(2) films also did not prevent the water corrosion of copper. Fortunately, Al(2)O(3) films with a TiO(2) capping layer were much more resilient to dissolution in water and prevented the water corrosion of copper. Optical microscopy images revealed that TiO(2) capping layers as thin as 200 ? on Al(2)O(3) adhesion layers could prevent copper corrosion in water at 90 °C for ~80 days. In contrast, the copper corroded almost immediately in water at 90 °C for Al(2)O(3) and ZnO films by themselves on copper. Ellipsometer measurements revealed that Al(2)O(3) films with a thickness of ~200 ? and ZnO films with a thickness of ~250 ? dissolved in water at 90 °C in ~10 days. In contrast, the ellipsometer measurements confirmed that the TiO(2) capping layers with thicknesses of ~200 ? on the Al(2)O(3) adhesion layers protected the copper for ~80 days in water at 90 °C. The TiO(2) ALD coatings were also hydrophilic and facilitated H(2)O wetting to copper wire mesh substrates.     

Spatial atomic layer deposition of zinc oxide thin films

Zinc oxide thin films have been deposited at high growth rates (up to ~1 nm/s) by spatial atomic layer deposition technique at atmospheric pressure. Water has been used as oxidant for diethylzinc (DEZ) at deposition temperatures between 75 and 250 °C. The electrical, structural (crystallinity and morphology), and optical properties of the films have been analyzed by using Hall, four-point probe, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, spectrophotometry, and photoluminescence, respectively. All the films have c-axis (100) preferential orientation, good crystalline quality and high transparency (～ 85%) in the visible range. By varying the DEZ partial pressure, the electrical properties of ZnO can be controlled, ranging from heavily n-type conductive (with 4 mOhm.cm resistivity for 250 nm thickness) to insulating. Combining the high deposition rates with a precise control of functional properties (i.e., conductivity and transparency) of the films, the industrially scalable spatial ALD technique can become a disruptive manufacturing method for the ZnO-based industry.     

Low temperature atomic layer deposition of titania thin films

This paper presents a comprehensive study of atomic layer deposition of TiO₂ films on silicon and polycarbonate substrates using TiCl₄ and H₂O as precursors at temperatures in the range 80-120 °C. An in-situ quartz crystal microbalance was used to monitor different processing conditions and the resultant films were characterised ex-situ using a suite of surface analytical tools. In addition, the contact angle and wettability of as-deposited and UV irradiated films were assessed. The latter was found to reduce the contact angle from ≥ 80° to < 10°. Finally, the effect of surface pre-treatment on film toughness and adhesion was investigated and the results show a significant improvement for the pre-treated films.     

Nitrogen-doped ZnO thin films grown on glass substrates by atomic layer deposition using NH3 as a doping source

Nitrogen-doped ZnO (ZnO:N) films were successfully grown on glass substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD). NH3 was used as a doping source, and the substrate temperature was relatively low (90 approximately 210 degrees C). The main focus of the study was to report on the effect of the temperature on the electrical properties (e.g., carrier concentration, mobility, etc.) of the grown ZnO:N films. At all temperatures, the carrier was found to be n-type, and its electron concentration did not show much variation within the values between 3 x 10(16) and 6 x 10(16) cm-3; the mobility increased with the temperature (1 cm2/Vs at 110 degrees C, 5 cm2/Vs at 190 degrees C); and the resistivity decreased with the temperature (203 omegacm at 110 degrees C, 21 omegacm at 190 degrees C). The electrical properties are discussed in relation with the nitrogen concentration, crystallinity, crystal orientation, grain size, and surface morphology. The nitrogen concentration in the ZnO:N films was constant at all temperatures (approximately 2.5 atomic percent); the crystallinity and crystal orientation improved with the temperature; and the mean grain size increased with the temperature (13.2 nm at 110 degrees C, 35.3 nm at 190 degrees C). The results for the ZnO:N films were also compared with the results for the undoped ZnO films.     

Characterization of nanometer-sized Pt-dendrite structures fabricated on insulator Al2O3 substrate by electron-beam-induced deposition

Nanometer-sized Pt-dendrite structures were fabricated on an insulator Al₂O₃ substrate using an electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID) process in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The as-fabricated structures were characterized using conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopies (CTEM and HRTEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The as-fabricated nanodendrites consisted of many nano-grains and amorphous state structures. The nanometer-sized grains were determined to be Pt crystals with face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. The formation of the nanodendrite structures are discussed to relate to a mechanism involving charge-up produced on surface of the substrate, movement of charges to and accumulation at the convex surface of the substrate and the tips of the deposits.     

Characterizations of NbAlO thin films grown by atomic layer deposition

Niobium-aluminate (NbAlO) thin films have been prepared on silicon (100) with different Nb₂O₅:Al₂O₃ growth cycle ratio by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. The structural, chemical and optical properties of NbAlO thin films are investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The results show that all the obtained NbAlO films are amorphous and fully oxidized. It is also found that the proportion of components in the NbAlO film can be well-controlled by varying the ALD growth cycles of the independent oxides. Furthermore, the refraction index of the prepared films is observed to increase with an increase of the concentration of Nb in the mixtures.     

Growing oriented AlN films on sapphire substrates by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Technical Physics Letters - The possibility of growing oriented AlN films on Al2O3 substrates at temperatures below 300°C by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition was examined. The samples...     

原子层沉积氧化铝包覆层增强五氧化二钒多孔薄膜电化学循环稳定性

最近,包覆氧化物进行表面修饰的方法已成功应用于改善锂离子电池阴极材料的容量稳定性。本文中,我们通过V2O5溶胶结合提拉法制备了V2O5多孔薄膜,并利用原子层沉积法对其包覆Al2O3原子层。V2O5多孔薄膜的电化学性质受包覆层厚度的影响,我们研究了不同薄膜厚度下的修饰效果。结果显示,原子层沉积法包覆不同厚度Al2O3原子层对锂离子电池的循环稳定性都有所改善,经10个ALD包覆循环的样品表现出最好的修饰效果。在此基础上,我们讨论探索了包覆Al2O3对容量及稳定性增强的机理。     

Al/Al2O3多层膜的研究

用真空蒸镀及自然氧化方法在玻璃基底上制备纳米量级的4、5、6、7对层的Al／Al2O3多层膜。采用称重法测定薄膜的厚度；在常温和低温下使用三点法测定多层膜的电特性；用扫描电镜（sEM）观察薄膜的表面和截面的形貌及成分。结果表明：制备的是纳米量级非晶态的Al／Al2O3多层膜，在常温和低温（77K）下均具有类似负阻的特性。     

Growth of ZnO thin films at low temperature by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using H2O and O2 plasma oxidants

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were grown at 70 °C by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using H₂O and O₂ plasmas. Plasma oxidants were used in order to improve the ZnO crystallinity and optoelectronic properties, avoiding high-temperature synthesis. The deposition parameters were optimized to achieve saturation in each reaction step. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals high purity of the obtained ZnO films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements indicate that the grown layers are polycrystalline and that the H₂O plasma synthesis leads to better crystallinity than the O₂ plasma as inferred from the intensity of the (100) and (002) peaks. The films are with high optical transmission, ~90%, as inferred from UV–visible (UV–Vis) transmittance measurements, and optical band gaps of 3.22 and 3.23 eV for H₂O and O₂ plasma, respectively. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicates that the films are smooth, with an average roughness of ~?0.22 nm. The growth rate was found to be in the range of 1.2–1.4 Å/cycle. The XPS, XRD, UV–Vis, and AFM results prove the possibility to obtain high-quality ZnO films by O₂ and H₂O plasma processes at 70 °C with chemical, structural, and optical properties promising for flexible electronics. ZnO films were successfully deposited on polyethylene terephthalate substrates using the optimal conditions for H₂O plasma process. No damage of the film surface or substrate was observed.