Characterization of aluminum oxide thin films obtained by chemical solution deposition and annealing for metal–insulator–metal dielectric capacitor applications

Chemical Solution Deposition of Al(OH)3‐AlOOH Films: Application for Surface Sensitizing of Rigid and Flexible Substrates to Improve the Adhesion in Coating Technology Areas

“…This is particularly evident for the as-deposited film reported by Suárez-Campos et al [110] Regarding the annealed samples, it is also very important to note that the temperatures used were not enough to convert the deposited material into Al 2 O 3 compound. According to the interesting work reported by Rivas-Mercury et al, [105] who employed neutron thermodiffractometry to study the Al(OH) 3 to AlOOH and AlOOH to Al 2 O 3 transitions when starting from "pure" Al(OH) 3 , the Al(OH) 3 and AlOOH compounds are found in the same proportions at 360°C, while AlOOH and Al 2 O 3 are found in the same proportion at 500°C, which agrees with the similar studies reported by Yong et al [104] and Redoui et al [106] These results confirm that the annealing temperatures used by Suárez-Campos et al [110] and Li et al [111] were not enough to completely convert the as-deposited material into Al 2 O 3 . In fact, by considering the neutron thermodiffractometry data reported by Rivas-Mercury et al, [105] the material obtained by Li et al [111] after annealing at 400°C could be composed of about 20 % Al(OH) 3 and 80 % AlOOH, while the material obtained by Suárez-Campos et al [110] after the annealing process at 500°C could be composed of about 50 % AlOOH and 50 % Al 2 O 3 .…”

“…It is important to note that by carefully observing the spectra reported by Suárez-Campos et al [110] and Li et al, [111] it is deduced that they can be solved by introducing a nonnegligible content of AlOOH (compound omitted in both reports). This is particularly evident for the as-deposited film reported by Suárez-Campos et al [110] Regarding the annealed samples, it is also very important to note that the temperatures used were not enough to convert the deposited material into Al 2 O 3 compound.…”

“…It is important to note that by carefully observing the spectra reported by Suárez-Campos et al [110] and Li et al, [111] it is deduced that they can be solved by introducing a nonnegligible content of AlOOH (compound omitted in both reports). This is particularly evident for the as-deposited film reported by Suárez-Campos et al [110] Regarding the annealed samples, it is also very important to note that the temperatures used were not enough to convert the deposited material into Al 2 O 3 compound. According to the interesting work reported by Rivas-Mercury et al, [105] who employed neutron thermodiffractometry to study the Al(OH) 3 to AlOOH and AlOOH to Al 2 O 3 transitions when starting from "pure" Al(OH) 3 , the Al(OH) 3 and AlOOH compounds are found in the same proportions at 360°C, while AlOOH and Al 2 O 3 are found in the same proportion at 500°C, which agrees with the similar studies reported by Yong et al [104] and Redoui et al [106] These results confirm that the annealing temperatures used by Suárez-Campos et al [110] and Li et al [111] were not enough to completely convert the as-deposited material into Al 2 O 3 .…”

“…It is important to mention that two very interesting related papers were reported by other authors during the review process of the present manuscript. These works were developed by Suárez-Campos et al [110] and Li et al, [111] who reported the synthesis of Al(OH) 3 thin films by chemical solution deposition and chemical liquid deposition, respectively, which were later converted into Al 2 O 3 films after an annealing process at 500°C and 400°C, respectively. Although both papers deal with technological applications of the synthesized materials, the chemical composition was determined in both cases only Table 6.…”

“…(3). Moreover, they based their interpretation on a single reported paper [81,113] instead of consulting the extensive background on the XPS analysis focused on one or some components of the Al/Al 2 O 3 /AlOOH/Al(OH) 3 system; a curious case is the work of Suárez-Campos et al, [110] who supported their entire interpretation and discussion of XPS in a report focused on indium oxide (In 2 O 3 ) deposited on an aluminum oxide with undetermined stoichiometry (AlO x ). [113] Certainly, and as we have shown in this paper, dismissing the vast reports on XPS analysis of Al 2 O 3 , AlOOH, and Al(OH) 3 materials may lead less experienced users to the design of unrealistic XPS models and incorrect interpretations, thus contributing to reproducibility issues in the scientific literature, as argued by the XPS expert panel.…”