Thin film deposition techniques

The success of this research is guiding our materials efforts into increasing chain packing density and orientation to increase, including a variety of new thin film deposition techniques. 

Menard, E. Bilhaut, L. Zaumseil, J. Rogers, J. A. 2004. Improved surface chemistries, thin film deposition techniques, and stamp designs for nanotransfer printing. Langmuir 20 6871-6878. 

Thin semiconductor films (and other nanostructured materials) are widely used in many applications and, especially, in microelectronics. Current technological trends toward ultimate miniaturization of microelectronic devices require films as thin as less than 5 nm, that is, containing only several atomic layers [1]. Experimental deposition methods have been described in detail in recent reviews [2-7]. Common thin-film deposition techniques are subdivided into two main categories physical deposition and chemical deposition. Physical deposition techniques, such as evaporation, molecular beam epitaxy, or sputtering, involve no chemical surface reactions. In chemical deposition techniques, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and its most important version, atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical precursors are used to obtain chemical substances or their components deposited on the surface. 

E. Menard, L. Bilbaut, J. Zaumseil, and J. A. Rogers, Improved chemistries, thin film deposition techniques and stamp design for nanotransfer printing , Langmuir 20, 6871 (2004). 

This book is devoted to the properties, preparation and applications of zinc oxide (ZnO) as an transparent electrode material. It focuses on ZnO for thin film solar cell applications and hopefully inspires also readers from related fields. The book is structured into three parts to serve both as an overview as well as a data collection for students, engineers and scientists. The first part, Chaps. 1-4, provide an overview of the application and fundamental material properties of ZnO films and their surface and interfaces properties. Chaps. 5-7 review thin film deposition techniques applied for ZnO preparation on lab scale but also for large area production. Finally, Chaps. 8 and 9 are devoted to applications of ZnO in silicon- and chalcopyrite-based thin film solar cells, respectively. One should note that the application of CVD grown ZnO in silicon thin film cells is discussed earlier in Chap. 6. 

Refs. [i] Hassel AW, Diesingb D (2002) Thin Solid Films 414 296 [ii] Strehblow HH (2003) Passivity of metals. In AlkireRC and Kolb DM (eds) Advances in electrochemical science and engineering, vol. 8. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, pp 271-374 [iii] Kern W, Schuegraf KK (2002) Deposition technologies and applications introduction and overview. In Seshan K (ed) Handbook of thin film deposition techniques principles, methods, equipment and applications. William Andrew, Noyes, p 19... 

Seshan K, editor. Handbook of Thin Film Deposition Techniques Principles, Methods, Equipment and Applications. 2nd ed. William Andrew Inc. 2002. p 553. 

Research on nano- and micro-fabrications based on anodizing treatments combined with chemical/mechanical processes such as laser irradiation, atomic force micro-probe processing and thin film deposition techniques... 

PLD is a thin film deposition technique akin to physical vapour deposition (PVD) whereby a high-power pulsed laser beam is focused inside a vacuum chamber to strike a target of the material to be deposited (Figure 5.47). 

Hunt, A.T., Carter, W.B., and Cochran, J.K. (1993) Combustion chemical vapour deposition a novel thin-film deposition technique. Appl. Phys. Lett., 63 (2), 266. 

Demonstrate feasibility of reducing Pt-Ru catalyst loading to 0.5 mg/cm using thin film deposition techniques. 

Like any other thin-film deposition techniques, sol-gel processing is essentially a mass transport process. The transformation of a liquid solution to a solid crystalline film is accomplished through three steps ... 

In addition to a lattice-matched substrate, sol-gel epitaxy also requires excellent stoichiometry control of the solution. Most of the demonstrated sol-gel epitaxies were performed at relatively low temperatures. Therefore, molecular-level homogeneity is essential. To appreciate fully the delicate features of sol-gel epitaxy, it is now appropriate to compare sol-gel processing with other thin-film deposition techniques. 

In the attempt to achieve optical signal processing, modulation, amplification, and memory functions in integrated circuits similar to those on electrical signals by semiconductor devices, integration of ferroelectric devices is the ultimate goal. However, to achieve integration of microscopic devices based on materials as complex as oxide ferroelectrics, which are predominantly multi-component metal oxide compounds, reliable thin-film deposition techniques are critically needed. One of the most important aspects of multicomponent oxide thin-film deposition is the control of stoichiometry. 

The number of thin film deposition techniques demonstrated to date vary in terms of their ease in meeting the above criteria in producing good quality films. The various deposition techniques could be generically divided into two classes multiple sources or a... 

Sputtering Thin film deposition technique based on the momentum transfer between accelerated ions and a target of source material. The process is undertaken at reduced pressure. 

Thin-film deposition technique that uses metalorganic vapor-phase precursors to form a solid thin film on substrate surfaces. The metalorganic precursor provides a volatile source of inorganic elements to a growth surface which are then thermally disassociated from their organic components on the substrate surface. 

Thin-film deposition technique in which a material is formed from a beam of sublimated atoms. The MBE process is valued for its precise control of atomic species on the growth surface, both for desired and undesired species. 

Thin-film deposition technique which uses a radio frequency (e.g., 13.56 MHz) to create a plasma consisting of ions of a process gas (Ar in the case of this investigation). These ions are accelerated into a target material to remove atoms of the material, which are then deposited onto a substrate to form a thin film. 

---