Atomic layer deposition of Cr2O3 thin films: Effect of crystallization on growth and properties

✍ Scribed by Aivar Tarre; Jaan Aarik; Hugo Mändar; Ahti Niilisk; Rainer Pärna; Raul Rammula; Teet Uustare; Arnold Rosental; Väino Sammelselg

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 616 KB
• Volume: 254
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0169-4332
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2008.02.016

✦ Synopsis

Atomic layer deposition of Cr 2 O 3 thin films from CrO 2 Cl 2 and CH 3 OH on amorphous SiO 2 and crystalline Si(1 0 0) and a-Al 2 O 3 (1 1 0 2) substrates was investigated, and properties of the films were ascertained. Self-limited growth with a rate of 0.05-0.1 nm/cycle was obtained at substrate temperatures of 330-420 8C. In this temperature range epitaxial eskolaite was formed on the a-Al 2 O 3 (1 1 0 2) substrates. The predominant crystallographic orientation in the epitaxial films depended, however, on the growth temperature and film thickness. Sufficiently thick films grown on the SiO 2 and Si(1 0 0) substrates contained also the eskolaite phase, but thinner films deposited at 330-375 8C on these substrates were amorphous. The growth rate data of films with different phase composition allowed a conclusion that the crystalline phase grew markedly faster than the amorphous phase did. The amorphous, polycrystalline and epitaxial films had densities of 4.9, 5.1 and 5.1-5.3 g/cm 3 , respectively.