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Effect of Various Oxidants on Reaction Mechanisms, Self‐Limiting Natures and Structural Characteristics of Al 2 O 3 Films Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition
Author(s) -
Wang Haoran,
Liu Yunfei,
Liu Hui,
Chen Zheng,
Xiong Pengpeng,
Xu Xiangchen,
Chen Fangyi,
Li Kun,
Duan Yu
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201701248
Subject(s) - atomic layer deposition , quartz crystal microbalance , materials science , analytical chemistry (journal) , deposition (geology) , limiting , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , ozone , temperature coefficient , infrared spectroscopy , thin film , chemical engineering , chemistry , nanotechnology , adsorption , organic chemistry , mechanical engineering , paleontology , sediment , engineering , composite material , biology
The present study investigates the Al 2 O 3 films grown by low‐temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) with water vapor (H 2 O), oxygen plasma (O 2 plasma), and ozone gas (O 3 ) serving as oxidants. The reaction processes with different oxidants are examined by in situ quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis of the gas phase species, which reveals a possible sequential reaction mechanism of trimethylaluminum and O 2 plasma. The coefficient of standard deviation (CSD) of the oscillation frequency change of the in situ quartz crystal microbalance (Δ f ) to represent the self‐limiting nature of the films is used, and an obvious relationship is observed between the CSD of Δ f values and the density of ALD films, which suggests the intrinsic relationship between the structural characteristics and the self‐limiting natures of the ALD processes outside the temperature window. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveals a large number of OCO, CO, and CH bonds remaining in the H 2 O‐based Al 2 O 3 films, and the smallest concentration of carbon species is found to remain in the O 3 ‐based Al 2 O 3 films, which explains the sources of the different self‐limiting natures and structural characteristics for the different oxidant‐based Al 2 O 3 films.