The Development of Low-Temperature Atomic Layer Deposition of HfO2 for TEM Sample Preparation on Soft Photo-Resist Substrate

Abstract

In this study, the method of low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD), which is applied on the soft photo-resist (PR) substrate forming hafnium dioxide (HfO2) at 40 o C to 85 o C, is reported for the first time. This reveals the potential application in the TEM sample preparation. The thickness, refractive index, band gap, and depth profiling chemical state of the thin film are analyzed by ellipsometry, X-ray diffraction, and photoelectron spectroscopy respectively. Our TEM image shows a clear boundary between the photo-resist and hafnium dioxide deposited on PR, which indicates the low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) may lead a new way for TEM sample preparation in advanced technology node.

ALD HfO2 Films for Defining Microelectrodes for Electrochemical Sensing and Other Applications

“…The films deposited at 100 °C over 200 and 400 cycles had thicknesses of 25.2 and 48.9 nm, respectively, giving a higher ALD rate of ∼1.18 Å/cycle. This is not surprising as the lower chamber temperature may contribute to a slightly less surface-limited reaction and more film contamination, giving a higher growth rate . Capacitance–voltage measurements for the MIM devices are shown overlaid in Figure a.…”

“…This is not surprising as the lower chamber temperature may contribute to a slightly less surface-limited reaction and more film contamination, giving a higher growth rate. 49 Capacitance− voltage measurements for the MIM devices are shown overlaid in Figure 4a. Figure 4b shows the average capacitance, C, plotted against the device area for the three different film thicknesses.…”