Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnO
Direct plasma enhanced-atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) is adopted for the growth of ZnO on <i>c</i>-Si with native oxide at room temperature. The initial stages of growth both in terms of thickness evolution and crystallization onset are followed <i>ex-situ</i> by a combinat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-04-01
|
| Series: | Crystals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/10/4/291 |
| _version_ | 1797570886433243136 |
|---|---|
| author | Alberto Perrotta Julian Pilz Roland Resel Oliver Werzer Anna Maria Coclite |
| author_facet | Alberto Perrotta Julian Pilz Roland Resel Oliver Werzer Anna Maria Coclite |
| author_sort | Alberto Perrotta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Direct plasma enhanced-atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) is adopted for the growth of ZnO on <i>c</i>-Si with native oxide at room temperature. The initial stages of growth both in terms of thickness evolution and crystallization onset are followed <i>ex-situ</i> by a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray based techniques (diffraction, reflectivity, and fluorescence). Differently from the growth mode usually reported for thermal ALD ZnO (i.e., substrate-inhibited island growth), the effect of plasma surface activation resulted in a substrate-enhanced island growth. A transient region of accelerated island formation was found within the first 2 nm of deposition, resulting in the growth of amorphous ZnO as witnessed with grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. After the islands coalesced and a continuous layer formed, the first crystallites were found to grow, starting the layer-by-layer growth mode. High-temperature ALD ZnO layers were also investigated in terms of crystallization onset, showing that layers are amorphous up to a thickness of 3 nm, irrespective of the deposition temperature and growth orientation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:31:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4496314b0aa1456a8b936a2870fb170c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:31:48Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-4496314b0aa1456a8b936a2870fb170c2023-11-19T21:18:37ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522020-04-0110429110.3390/cryst10040291Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnOAlberto Perrotta0Julian Pilz1Roland Resel2Oliver Werzer3Anna Maria Coclite4Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, AustriaInstitute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, AustriaInstitute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, AustriaInstitute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, AustriaInstitute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, AustriaDirect plasma enhanced-atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) is adopted for the growth of ZnO on <i>c</i>-Si with native oxide at room temperature. The initial stages of growth both in terms of thickness evolution and crystallization onset are followed <i>ex-situ</i> by a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray based techniques (diffraction, reflectivity, and fluorescence). Differently from the growth mode usually reported for thermal ALD ZnO (i.e., substrate-inhibited island growth), the effect of plasma surface activation resulted in a substrate-enhanced island growth. A transient region of accelerated island formation was found within the first 2 nm of deposition, resulting in the growth of amorphous ZnO as witnessed with grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. After the islands coalesced and a continuous layer formed, the first crystallites were found to grow, starting the layer-by-layer growth mode. High-temperature ALD ZnO layers were also investigated in terms of crystallization onset, showing that layers are amorphous up to a thickness of 3 nm, irrespective of the deposition temperature and growth orientation.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/10/4/291zinc oxideplasma atomic layer depositioninitial growth |
| spellingShingle | Alberto Perrotta Julian Pilz Roland Resel Oliver Werzer Anna Maria Coclite Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnO Crystals zinc oxide plasma atomic layer deposition initial growth |
| title | Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnO |
| title_full | Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnO |
| title_fullStr | Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnO |
| title_full_unstemmed | Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnO |
| title_short | Initial Growth and Crystallization Onset of Plasma Enhanced-Atomic Layer Deposited ZnO |
| title_sort | initial growth and crystallization onset of plasma enhanced atomic layer deposited zno |
| topic | zinc oxide plasma atomic layer deposition initial growth |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/10/4/291 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT albertoperrotta initialgrowthandcrystallizationonsetofplasmaenhancedatomiclayerdepositedzno AT julianpilz initialgrowthandcrystallizationonsetofplasmaenhancedatomiclayerdepositedzno AT rolandresel initialgrowthandcrystallizationonsetofplasmaenhancedatomiclayerdepositedzno AT oliverwerzer initialgrowthandcrystallizationonsetofplasmaenhancedatomiclayerdepositedzno AT annamariacoclite initialgrowthandcrystallizationonsetofplasmaenhancedatomiclayerdepositedzno |