Atomic Layer Deposition of Ruthenium Thin Films from Ru(thd)3 and Oxygen

Atomic Layer Deposition of Intermetallic Fe4Zn9 Thin Films from Diethyl Zinc

We present a new type of atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for intermetallic thin films, where diethyl zinc (DEZ) serves as a coreactant. In our proof-of-concept study, FeCl₃ is used as the second precursor. The FeCl₃ + DEZ process yields in situ crystalline Fe₄Zn₉ thin films, where the elemental purity and Fe/Zn ratio are confirmed by time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis (TOF-ERDA), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. The film thickness is precisely controlled by the number of precursor supply cycles, as expected for an ALD process. The reaction mechanism is addressed by computational density functional theory (DFT) modeling. We moreover carry out preliminary tests with CuCl₂ and Ni(thd)₂ in combination with DEZ to confirm that these processes yield Cu-Zn and Ni-Zn thin films with DEZ as well. Thus, we envision an opening of a new ALD approach based on DEZ for intermetallic/metal alloy thin films.

Surface Chemistry during Atomic Layer Deposition of Pt Studied with Vibrational Sum-Frequency Generation

A detailed understanding of the growth of noble metals by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is key for various applications of these materials in catalysis and nanoelectronics. The Pt ALD process using MeCpPtMe₃ and O₂ gas as reactants serves as a model system for the ALD processes of noble metals in general. The surface chemistry of this process was studied by in situ vibrational broadband sum-frequency generation (BB-SFG) spectroscopy, and the results are placed in the context of a literature overview of the reaction mechanism. The BB-SFG experiments provided direct evidence for the presence of CH₃ groups on the Pt surface after precursor chemisorption at 250 °C. Strong evidence was found for the presence of a C=C containing complex (e.g., the form of Cp species) and for partial dehydrogenation of the surface species during the precursor half-cycle. The reaction kinetics of the precursor half-cycle were followed at 250 °C, showing that the C=C coverage saturated before the saturation of CH₃. This complex behavior points to the competition of multiple surface reactions, also reflected in the temperature dependence of the reaction mechanism. The CH₃ saturation coverage decreased significantly with temperature, while the C=C coverage remained constant after precursor chemisorption on the Pt surface for temperatures from 80 to 300 °C. These SFG results have resulted in a better understanding of the Pt ALD process and also highlight the surface chemistry during thin-film growth as a promising field of study for the BB-SFG community.

Ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy setup for synchrotron-based in situ and operando atomic layer deposition research

An ambient pressure cell is described for conducting synchrotron-based x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements during atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. The instrument is capable of true in situ and operando experiments in which it is possible to directly obtain elemental and chemical information from the sample surface using XPS as the deposition process is ongoing. The setup is based on the ambient pressure XPS technique, in which sample environments with high pressure (several mbar) can be created without compromising the ultrahigh vacuum requirements needed for the operation of the spectrometer and the synchrotron beamline. The setup is intended for chemical characterization of the surface intermediates during the initial stages of the deposition processes. The SPECIES beamline and the ALD cell provide a unique experimental platform for obtaining new information on the surface chemistry during ALD half-cycles at high temporal resolution. Such information is valuable for understanding the ALD reaction mechanisms and crucial in further developing and improving ALD processes. We demonstrate the capabilities of the setup by studying the deposition of TiO₂ on a SiO₂ surface by using titanium(IV) tetraisopropoxide and water as precursors. Multiple core levels and the valence band of the substrate surface were followed during the film deposition using ambient pressure XPS.

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of Metal Gates for CMOS

The continuous down-scaling of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) field effect transistors (FETs) had been suffering two fateful technical issues, one relative to the thinning of gate dielectric and the other to the aggressive shortening of channel in last 20 years. To solve the first issue, the high-κ dielectric and metal gate technology had been induced to replace the conventional gate stack of silicon dioxide layer and poly-silicon. To suppress the short channel effects, device architecture had changed from planar bulk Si device to fully depleted silicon on insulator (FDSOI) and FinFETs, and will transit to gate all-around FETs (GAA-FETs). Different from the planar devices, the FinFETs and GAA-FETs have a 3D channel. The conventional high-κ/metal gate process using sputtering faces conformality difficulty, and all atomic layer deposition (ALD) of gate stack become necessary. This review covers both scientific and technological parts related to the ALD of metal gates including the concept of effect work function, the material selection, the precursors for the deposition, the threshold voltage (Vt) tuning of the metal gate in contact with HfO2/SiO2/Si. The ALD of n-type metal gate will be detailed systematically, based mainly on the authors’ works in last five years, and the all ALD gate stacks will be proposed for the future generations based on the learning.

Growth of Atomic Layer Deposited Ruthenium and Its Optical Properties at Short Wavelengths Using Ru(EtCp)2 and Oxygen

High-density ruthenium (Ru) thin films were deposited using Ru(EtCp)2 (bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)ruthenium) and oxygen by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) and compared to magnetron sputtered (MS) Ru coatings. The ALD Ru film growth and surface roughness show a significant temperature dependence. At temperatures below 200 °C, no deposition was observed on silicon and fused silica substrates. With increasing deposition temperature, the nucleation of Ru starts and leads eventually to fully closed, polycrystalline coatings. The formation of blisters starts at temperatures above 275 °C because of poor adhesion properties, which results in a high surface roughness. The optimum deposition temperature is 250 °C in our tool and leads to rather smooth film surfaces, with roughness values of approximately 3 nm. The ALD Ru thin films have similar morphology compared with MS coatings, e.g., hexagonal polycrystalline structure and high density. Discrepancies of the optical properties can be explained by the higher roughness of ALD films compared to MS coatings. To use ALD Ru for optical applications at short wavelengths (λ = 2–50 nm), further improvement of their film quality is required.

Atomic and molecular layer deposition: off the beaten track

ALD archetype and deviations from it.

Isolating the Photovoltaic Junction: Atomic Layer Deposited TiO2-RuO2 Alloy Schottky Contacts for Silicon Photoanodes

We synthesized nanoscale TiO2-RuO2 alloys by atomic layer deposition (ALD) that possess a high work function and are highly conductive. As such, they function as good Schottky contacts to extract photogenerated holes from n-type silicon while simultaneously interfacing with water oxidation catalysts. The ratio of TiO2 to RuO2 can be precisely controlled by the number of ALD cycles for each precursor. Increasing the composition above 16% Ru sets the electronic conductivity and the metal work function. No significant Ohmic loss for hole transport is measured as film thickness increases from 3 to 45 nm for alloy compositions ≥ 16% Ru. Silicon photoanodes with a 2 nm SiO2 layer that are coated by these alloy Schottky contacts having compositions in the range of 13-46% Ru exhibit average photovoltages of 525 mV, with a maximum photovoltage of 570 mV achieved. Depositing TiO2-RuO2 alloys on nSi sets a high effective work function for the Schottky junction with the semiconductor substrate, thus generating a large photovoltage that is isolated from the properties of an overlying oxygen evolution catalyst or protection layer.

Structural investigation of Ru/Pt nanocomposite films prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer depositions

We have fabricated Ru and Pt nanocomposite films using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD), and characterized their structure by means of analytical electron microscopy. Pt and Ru were deposited in Ar/O(2) plasma using trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl) platinum(IV) and bis(cyclopentadienyl)Ru(II) or bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)Ru(II) as precursors, respectively. The resistivity of a Pt film deposited on a Si substrate at 300°C was 16.2μΩcm, and that of a Ru film was as low as 11μΩcm, showing the film to be metallic and not oxidized. It was revealed that the film prepared by successive PE-ALDs of Pt and Ru on a thin amorphous carbon substrate for electron microscopy analysis is a nanocomposite of Ru ribbons and PtRu (7:3) alloy ribbons with 2-3 nm in width. The Ru ribbon comprised small particles with poor crystallinity of the hcp A3 structure and the PtRu ribbon comprised crystallites with good crystallinity of the fcc Al structure. The atomic layer deposition would be one of potential techniques to produce Ru/Pt nanocomposites for fuel cell catalysts.

Ruthenium complexes as precursors for chemical vapor-deposition (CVD)

The progress in precursor chemistry for the chemical vapor deposition of ruthenium containing thin films is reviewed.

Portable atomic layer deposition reactor for in situ synchrotron photoemission studies

We report the design of a portable atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactor that can be integrated into synchrotron facilities for in situ synchrotron photoemission studies. The design allows for universal installation of the system onto different beam line end stations. The ALD reactor operates as a fully functional, low vacuum deposition system under the conditions of a typical ALD reactor while allowing the samples to be analyzed in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chamber through a quick transfer without vacuum break. This system not only minimizes the exposure of the UHV chamber to the ALD reactants, but it also eliminates the necessity of a beam alignment step after installation. The system has been successfully installed at the synchrotron and tested in the mechanistic studies of platinum ALD following individual half reaction cycles.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Ruthenium Films on Hydrogen terminated Silicon

Atomic Layer deposition of thin Ruthenium films has been studied using a newly synthesized precursor (Cyclopentadienyl ethylruthenium dicarbonyl) and O2 as reactant gases. Under our experimental conditions, the film comprises both Ru and RuO2. The initial growth is dominated by Ru metal. As the number of cycles is increased, RuO2 appears. From infrared broadband absorption measurements, the transition from isolated, nucleated film to a continuous, conducting film (characterized by Drude absorption) can be determined. Optical simulations based on an effective-medium approach are implemented to simulate the in-situ broadband infrared absorption. A Lorentz oscillator model is developed, together with a Drude term for the metallic component, to describe optical properties of Ru/RuO2 growth.

Mechanism, products, and growth rate of atomic layer deposition of noble metals

We present mechanisms for atomic layer deposition of Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, or Pt metal from homoleptic precursors and oxygen. The novel mechanistic feature is that combustion of ligands produces transient hydroxyl groups on the surface, which can undergo Brønsted-type elimination of a further ligand or water from the surface. Each ligand therefore releases one electron for reduction of the metal. The growth reaction may be described as oxide-catalyzed redox decomposition of the precursor. To validate the mechanism against experiment, we derive analytical expressions for product ratios and the growth rate in terms of saturating coverages.

Ru nanostructure fabrication using an anodic aluminum oxide nanotemplate and highly conformal Ru atomic layer deposition

We fabricated metallic nanostructures directly on Si substrates through a hybrid nanoprocess combining atomic layer deposition (ALD) and a self-assembled anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanotemplate. ALD Ru films with Ru(DMPD)(EtCp) as a precursor and O(2) as a reactant exhibited high purity and low resistivity with negligible nucleation delay and low roughness. These good growth characteristics resulted in the excellent conformality for nanometer-scale vias and trenches. Additionally, AAO nanotemplates were fabricated directly on Si and Ti/Si substrates through a multiple anodization process. AAO nanotemplates with various hole sizes (30-100 nm) and aspect ratios (2:1-20:1) were fabricated by controlling the anodizing process parameters. The barrier layers between AAO nanotemplates and Si substrates were completely removed by reactive ion etching (RIE) using BCl(3) plasma. By combining the ALD Ru and the AAO nanotemplate, Ru nanostructures with controllable sizes and shapes were prepared on Si and Ti/Si substrates. The Ru nanowire array devices as a platform for sensor devices exhibited befitting properties of good ohmic contact and high surface/volume ratio.