Low-temperature atomic layer deposition of ZnO thin films: Control of crystallinity and orientation

Low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes are intensely looked for to extend the usability of the technique to applications where sensitive substrates such as polymers or biological materials need to be coated by high-quality thin films. A preferred film orientation, on the other hand, is often required to enhance the desired film properties. Here we demonstrate that smooth, crystalline ZnO thin films can be deposited from diethylzinc and water by ALD even at room temperature. The depositions were carried out on Si(100) substrates in the temperature range from 23 to 140 °C. Highly c-axis-oriented films were realized at temperatures below ~ 80 °C. The film crystallinity could be further enhanced by post-deposition annealing under O₂ or N₂ atmosphere at 400-600 °C while keeping the original film orientation intact.     

Controlling the crystallinity and roughness of atomic layer deposited titanium dioxide films

The surface roughness of thin films is an important parameter related to the sticking behaviour of surfaces in the manufacturing of microelectomechanical systems (MEMS). In this work, TiO2 films made by atomic layer deposition (ALD) with the TiCl4-H2O process were characterized for their growth, roughness and crystallinity as function of deposition temperature (110-300 degrees C), film thickness (up to approximately 100 nm) and substrate (thermal SiO2, RCA-cleaned Si, Al2O3). TiO2 films got rougher with increasing film thickness and to some extent with increasing deposition temperature. The substrate drastically influenced the crystallization behaviour of the film: for films of about 20 nm thickness, on thermal SiO2 and RCA-cleaned Si, anatase TiO2 crystal diameter was about 40 nm, while on Al2O3 surface the diameter was about a micrometer. The roughness could be controlled from 0.2 nm up to several nanometers, which makes the TiO2 films candidates for adhesion engineering in MEMS.     

Molecular Weight Characterization and Gelling Properties of Acid-Modified Maize Starches

The reduction in the molecular weight distribution during acid hydrolysis of ordinary and waxy maize starch occured in two stages: first amylopectin degraded to intermediate high molecular weight polysac-charides, secondly, these were further hydrolyzed. The amylose moiety of ordinary and high-amylose starch was not affected very much by the hydrolysis conditions used (0.1–1 M HCI, 40°C, 0.3–4 h), but the gelling properties of starch weakened. The amylopectin degradation products, probably branched dextrins, were shown to hinder the gel formation of amylose in the starch pastes.     

Replication of sub‐micron features using amorphous thermoplastics

A comprehensive experimental study was carried out to replicate sub‐micron features using the injection molding technique. For the experiments, five different plastic materials were selected according to their flow properties. The materials were polycarbonate (PC), styrene‐butadiene block copolymer (SBS), impact modified poly(methyl methacrylate), methyl methacrylate‐acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene polymer (MABS), and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). Nanofeatures down to 200‐nm line width and with aspect ratios (aspect ratio = depth/width) of 1:1 could be replicated. In all selected materials, the greatest differences between the materials emerged when the aspect ratio increased to 2:1. The most favorable results were obtained with the use of high flow polycarbonate as the molding material. The best replication results were achieved when melt and mold temperatures were higher than normal values.