Self-cleaning and surface chemical reactions during hafnium dioxide atomic layer deposition on indium arsenide

Rainer Timm (), Ashley R. Head, Sofie Yngman, Johan V. Knutsson, Martin Hjort, Sarah R. McKibbin, Andrea Troian, Olof Persson, Samuli Urpelainen, Jan Knudsen, Joachim Schnadt and Anders Mikkelsen
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Rainer Timm: Lund University
Ashley R. Head: Lund University
Sofie Yngman: Lund University
Johan V. Knutsson: Lund University
Martin Hjort: Lund University
Sarah R. McKibbin: Lund University
Andrea Troian: Lund University
Olof Persson: Lund University
Samuli Urpelainen: Lund University
Jan Knudsen: Lund University
Joachim Schnadt: Lund University
Anders Mikkelsen: Lund University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Atomic layer deposition (ALD) enables the ultrathin high-quality oxide layers that are central to all modern metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits. Crucial to achieving superior device performance are the chemical reactions during the first deposition cycle, which could ultimately result in atomic-scale perfection of the semiconductor–oxide interface. Here, we directly observe the chemical reactions at the surface during the first cycle of hafnium dioxide deposition on indium arsenide under realistic synthesis conditions using photoelectron spectroscopy. We find that the widely used ligand exchange model of the ALD process for the removal of native oxide on the semiconductor and the simultaneous formation of the first hafnium dioxide layer must be significantly revised. Our study provides substantial evidence that the efficiency of the self-cleaning process and the quality of the resulting semiconductor–oxide interface can be controlled by the molecular adsorption process of the ALD precursors, rather than the subsequent oxide formation.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03855-z

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