From V. B. Aleskovskii's “Framework” Hypothesis to the Method of Molecular Layering/Atomic Layer Deposition

Abstract

This essay is dedicated to the history of creation and development of the molecular layering technique (ML) which, in the modern community of non-Russian scientists, is commonly referred to as atomic layer deposition (ALD). Basic research in the field of chemical transformations of solid surfaces using the ML method in the light of the "framework" hypothesis proposed by V. B. Aleskovskii in 1952 is discussed. A number of questions raised by international scientists including those involved in the Virtual Project on the History of ALD (VPHA, 2013), and scientists from conferences in Helsinki (Finland, May 2014.), Kyoto (Japan, June 2014), and personal communications amongst peers are addressed. For the first time in English, this article provides information about V. B. Aleskovskii and S. I. Kol'tsov who are closely associated with development of the ML technique in the Soviet Union. This paper also informs the scientific community about research groups currently engaged in ML research in Russia and introduces the scientific school of "Chemistry of highly organized substances", founded and supervised by V. B. Aleskovskii.

Review Article: Recommended reading list of early publications on atomic layer deposition—Outcome of the “Virtual Project on the History of ALD”

“…In addition to the listed publications, for those wanting a quick overview of the initiation of the field, we recommend the two essays resulting from VPHA: one on ML (Ref. 19) and one on ALE. The recommended reading list of early ALD publications comprises abstracts, full original research articles, review papers, patents, and academic theses.…”

“…19 1. Some characteristics of molecular layering reactions, Aleskovskii and Koltsov, 1965 This is a half-page abstract by Russian authors of a local meeting in Leningrad, USSR (currently St. Petersburg, Russia), written in Russian.…”

“…The dissertation is based on the "framework" hypothesis proposed by V. B. Aleskovskii in 1952. 19 The doctoral dissertation of S. I. Koltsov consists of three parts: The first one is devoted to the peculiarities of the structure and reactivity of solids from the standpoint of the framework hypothesis. The second part deals with the polymeranalogous conversion of the xerogel of polysilicic acid with chlorides of different elements.…”

“…12 To-date, VPHA has resulted in four general conference presentations (Baltic ALD 2014; two presentations at ALD 2014; ALD 2016), [13][14][15][16] an exhibition on the 40 years of ALD in Finland (FinALD40), 17 two essays in the Chemical Vapor Deposition journal on ALE (Ref. 18) and ML, 19 and updates regarding the historical description in ALD-related pages in Wikipedia. [20][21][22][23] Several organizational presentations have also been made at various conferences (ALD Russia 2015, Baltic ALD 2015, HERALD COST network Helsinki 2014 workshop, Baltic ALD 2016).…”

High-temperature superconductivity: From macro- to nanoscale structures

“…Fundamentally, this technology can be implemented by depositing atomic layers, for example, by atomic layer deposition (ALD), first proposed by V. B. Aleskovski in the mid-twentieth century [159,160] and usually called as the method of molecular layering (ML) in the Russian scientific literature [161]. The specificity of this method lies in the possibility of forming a molecular or atomic monolayer on complex-shape substrates without forming threedimensional nuclei by cyclic alternate supply of gaseous (MOCVD -Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) or liquid (with subsequent pyrolysis -MOD -Metal Organic Deposition) precursor reagents of the buffer layer and the base material to the substrate in a way that the chemical reactions leading to the film growth occur only in chemisorbing layers, that is, with the exception of reactions in the gas phase.…”