Ion-beam-assisted deposition of thin films.
TL;DR: Substantial increases in the packing densities of SiO2, TiO2 , and ZrO2 films have been produced as measured by the reduction in the adsorption of moisture when the films are exposed to a humid atmosphere.
Abstract: Some effects on the properties of electron-beam evaporated thin films produced by ion bombardment of the growing film are reported. Substantial increases in the packing densities of SiO2 , TiO2 , and ZrO2 films have been produced as measured by the reduction in the adsorption of moisture when the films are exposed to a humid atmosphere. In a ZrO2-SiO2 multilayer interference filter, changes in the wavelength of the peak transmittance on exposure to the atmosphere have been reduced from 8 nm for films deposited without ion bombardment to <1 nm for ion-beam-assisted films.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: Ion beam assisted deposition, the bombardment of a thin film with a beam of energetic particles during deposition, provides a powerful technique for modifying the microstructure and properties of thin films and coatings as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Ion beam assisted deposition, the bombardment of a thin film with a beam of energetic particles during deposition, provides a powerful technique for modifying the microstructure and properties of thin films and coatings. Various experimental approaches used for ion beam assisted deposition are described and the physical basis for the effects is examined. Observations on modification of nucleation and growth behaviour, microstructure development, compound synthesis, and applications to the modification of properties such as intrinsic stress, adhesion, surface mechanical properties, corrosion and oxidation resistance, optical properties, and electrical properties, are reviewed.
362 citations
TL;DR: The optical properties of dielectric oxide films SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2 and ZrO2 produced by ion-based techniques have been reviewed in this paper.
Abstract: The optical properties of the dielectric oxide films SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, ZrO2, CeO2 and Ta2O5 produced by ion-based techniques have been reviewed. The influence of ion bombardment during deposition is discussed in some detail and the various production techniques are described. Recent results on the deposition and properties of diamond-like carbon films are also reviewed. Finally, some examples of the practical applications of high quality dielectric oxide films are given.
316 citations
Patent•
30 Aug 2004TL;DR: A method for growing films for use in integrated circuits using atomic layer deposition and a subsequent converting step is described in this article, where a metal atomic layer is oxidized to form a metal oxide layer.
Abstract: A method for growing films for use in integrated circuits using atomic layer deposition and a subsequent converting step is described. In an embodiment, the subsequent converting step includes oxidizing a metal atomic layer to form a metal oxide layer. The atomic layer deposition and oxidation step are then repeated to produce a metal oxide layer having sufficient thickness for use as a metal oxide layer in an integrated circuit. The subsequent converting step, in an embodiment, includes converting the atomic deposition layer by exposing it to one of nitrogen to form a nitride layer, carbon to form a carbide layer, boron to form a boride layer, and fluorine to form a fluoride layer. Systems and devices for performing the method, semiconductor devices so produced, and machine readable media containing the method are also described.
290 citations
Patent•
17 Sep 2007TL;DR: In this article, a method of enhanced atomic layer deposition is described, where the enhancement is the use of plasma, which assists the reaction of the precursors to deposit a layer on a substrate.
Abstract: A method of enhanced atomic layer deposition is described. In an embodiment, the enhancement is the use of plasma. Plasma begins prior to flowing a second precursor into the chamber. The second precursor reacts with a prior precursor to deposit a layer on the substrate. In an embodiment, the layer includes at least one element from each of the first and second precursors. In an embodiment, the layer is TaN. In an embodiment, the precursors are TaF 5 and NH 3 . In an embodiment, the plasma begins during the purge gas flow between the pulse of first precursor and the pulse of second precursor. In an embodiment, the enhancement is thermal energy. In an embodiment, the thermal energy is greater than generally accepted for ALD (>300 degrees Celsius). The enhancement assists the reaction of the precursors to deposit a layer on a substrate.
286 citations
Patent•
22 Apr 2003TL;DR: In this paper, an atomic layer deposition was used to create a dielectric layer with a relatively high dielectrics constant as compared with silicon oxide. But the results were limited to the case of Zr and Ti.
Abstract: Dielectric layers having an atomic layer deposited oxide containing titanium and zirconium and a method of fabricating such a dielectric layer produce a reliable dielectric layer having an equivalent oxide thickness thinner than attainable using SiO 2 . Pulsing a titanium-containing precursor onto a substrate, and pulsing a zirconium-containing precursor to form an oxide containing Zr and Ti by atomic layer deposition provides a dielectric layer with a relatively high dielectric constant as compared with silicon oxide. The pulsing of the titanium-containing precursor and the pulsing of the zirconium-containing precursor is controlled to provide a dielectric layer with a predetermined zirconium to titanium ratio. A zirconium-containing precursor to form the oxide containing Zr and Ti can include zirconium tertiary-butoxide.
253 citations