Effect of substrate pretreatments on the atomic layer deposited Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} passivation quality
- Department of Micro- and Nanosciences, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Tietotie 3, 02150 Espoo (Finland)
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT Espoo (Finland)
The authors show here that the passivation quality of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} is highly sensitive to the surface condition prior to the atomic layer deposition, affecting especially the thermal stability of the film. Pretreatments like diluted HCl bath or preheating at 200 °C both improved significantly the passivation quality and thermal stability of the films. In addition, the authors observed that a thin chemical SiO{sub 2} layer resulting from diluted HCl solves the blistering problem often encountered in H{sub 2}O based atomic layer deposited process. Finally, the authors show that the chemical oxide protects the surface from contaminants, enabling long storage times in a dirty ambient between the cleaning and the film deposition.
- OSTI ID:
- 22392096
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, Vacuum, Surfaces and Films, Vol. 33, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2014 American Vacuum Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0734-2101
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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