(199e) Synthesis and Characterization of ALD-Deposited Thin Films of Aluminum Oxides, Nickle Oxides, and Cobalt Oxides for Recetenna-Based Heat Harvesters

Atomic layer deposition (ALD), is a technique that provides highly-regulated control of layer-by-layer film growth. This is particularly important in nanofabrication of extremely thin oxides for high-speed electronics. In this study, a novel ALD system was designed and built for quickly surveying ALD using a range of different materials. By optimizing the parameters of temperature, pressure, and pulse time, we can produce very thin oxides for use in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes from precursors and oxidizers in different physical states. The conventional presursor for Al depositon is Trimethylaluminum (TMA) which is a organic compond in gas phase. Whereeas, the precursor for Ni depositon is Ni(thd₂) which is in solid phase under room temperature.

Aluminum oxide and nickels oxide thin films of various thickness, density, and microstructure have been produced by ALD. These films arer characterized using the following methods: Scanning Auger Microprobe (SAM), atomic force microscopuy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The data are correlated to help understand the interconnectedness of ALD processing parameters with deposit thickness, homogeneity, and uniformity. The goal is to optimize the properties of the deposited thin film metal-oxide.

In addition to the aluminum and nickel oxide system, this presenatation will also provide a status on our work with using ALD to form cobalt oxide thin films.