0000000001100592
AUTHOR
Sakari Sintonen
Thermal and plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of SiO2 using commercial silicon precursors
In this paper, we report ALD deposition of silicon dioxide using either thermal or plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). Several aminosilanes with differing structures and reactivity were used as silicon precursors in R&D single wafer ALD tools. One of the precursors was also tested on pilot scale batch ALD using O3 as oxidant and with substrates measuring 150 × 400 mm. The SiO2 film deposition rate was greatly dependent on the precursors used, highest values being 1.5-2.0 Å/cycle at 30-200°C for one precursor with an O2 plasma. According to time-of-flight-elastic recoil detection analysis measurements carbon and nitrogen impurities were relatively low, but hydrogen content i…
Microscratch testing method for systematic evaluation of the adhesion of atomic layer deposited thin films on silicon
The scratch test method is widely used for adhesion evaluation of thin films and coatings. Usual critical load criteria designed for scratch testing of coatings were not applicable to thin atomic layer deposition (ALD) films on silicon wafers. Thus, the bases for critical load evaluation were established and the critical loads suitable for ALD coating adhesion evaluation on silicon wafers were determined in this paper as LCSi1, LCSi2, LCALD1, and LCALD2, representing the failure points of the silicon substrate and the coating delamination points of the ALD coating. The adhesion performance of the ALD Al2O3, TiO2, TiN, and TaCN+Ru coatings with a thickness range between 20 and 600 nm and dep…
Mechanical and optical properties of as-grown and thermally annealed titanium dioxide from titanium tetrachloride and water by atomic layer deposition
Funding Information: This work was carried out within the MECHALD project funded by Business Finland (Tekes) and is linked to the Finnish Centers of Excellence in Atomic Layer Deposition (ref. 251220) and Nuclear and Accelerator Based Physics (refs. 213503 and 251353) of the Academy of Finland. Funding Information: This work was carried out within the MECHALD project funded by Business Finland (Tekes) and is linked to the Finnish Centers of Excellence in Atomic Layer Deposition (ref. 251220 ) and Nuclear and Accelerator Based Physics (refs. 213503 and 251353 ) of the Academy of Finland. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The use of thin-films made by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is increasing in …
Nanotribological, nanomechanical and interfacial characterization of atomic layer deposited TiO2 on a silicon substrate
Abstract For every coating it is critical that the coatings are sufficiently durable to withstand practical applications and that the films adhere well enough to the substrate. In this paper the nanotribological, nanomechanical and interfacial properties of 15–100 nm thick atomic layer deposited (ALD) TiO 2 coatings deposited at 110–300 °C were studied using a novel combination of nanoscratch and scanning nanowear testing. Thin film wear increased linearly with increasing scanning nanowear load. The film deposited at 300 °C was up to 58±11 %-points more wear-resistant compared to the films deposited at lower temperatures due to higher hardness and crystallinity of the film. Amorphous/nanocr…
Aluminum oxide/titanium dioxide nanolaminates grown by atomic layer deposition: Growth and mechanical properties
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is based on self-limiting surface reactions. This and cyclic process enable the growth of conformal thin films with precise thickness control and sharp interfaces. A multilayered thin film, which is nanolaminate, can be grown using ALD with tuneable electrical and optical properties to be exploited, for example, in the microelectromechanical systems. In this work, the tunability of the residual stress, adhesion, and mechanical properties of the ALD nanolaminates composed of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) films on silicon were explored as a function of growth temperature (110-300 C), film thickness (20-300 nm), bilayer thickness (0.1-100 nm),…
Thermomechanical properties of aluminum oxide thin films made by atomic layer deposition
Funding Information: This work was carried out within the MECHALD project funded by Business Finland and is linked to the Finnish Centers of Excellence in Atomic Layer Deposition (Ref. No. 251220) and Nuclear and Accelerator Based Physics (Ref Nos. 213503 and 251353) of the Academy of Finland. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Author(s). In microelectromechanical system devices, thin films experience thermal processing at temperatures some cases exceeding the growth or deposition temperature of the film. In the case of the thin film grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at relatively low temperatures, post-ALD thermal processing or high device operation temperature might cause performance issues…
Tribological properties of thin films made by atomic layer deposition sliding against silicon
Interfacial phenomena, such as adhesion, friction, and wear, can dominate the performance and reliability of microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices. Here, thin films made by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were tested for their tribological properties. Tribological tests were carried out with silicon counterpart sliding against ALD thin films in order to simulate the contacts occurring in the MEMS devices. The counterpart was sliding in a linear reciprocating motion against the ALD films with the total sliding distances of 5 and 20 m. Al2O3 and TiO2 coatings with different deposition temperatures were investigated in addition to Al2O3-TiO2-nanolaminate, TiN, NbN, TiAlCN, a-C:H [diamondlike car…
Aluminum oxide from trimethylaluminum and water by atomic layer deposition:The temperature dependence of residual stress, elastic modulus, hardness and adhesion
Use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has increased as ALD enables conformal growth on 3-dimensional structures at relatively low temperatures. For MEMS device design and fabrication, the understanding of stress and mechanical properties such as elastic modulus, hardness and adhesion of thin film is crucial. In this work a comprehensive characterization of the stress, elastic modulus, hardness and adhesion of ALD aluminum oxide (Al2O3) films grown at 110-300 C from trimethylaluminum and water is presented. Film stress was analyzed by wafer curvature measurements, elastic modulus by nanoindentation and surface-acoustic wave measurements, hardness by na…