Atomic Layer Deposition is a deposition technique for very thin layers with the thickness control down to a single atomic layer. It belongs to the CVD techniques family. The thickness precision is achieved by pulsed deposition, where first a metal-containing precursor is introduced into the chamber and after a short time (allowing for monolayer adsorption) the chamber is pumped down. The following step is exposure to the oxidizing precursor (for oxides) or nitrogen-containing precursor (for nitrides). Thus, a monolayer of the target material is grown. The metal-containing precursors are usually organometallic ones, for oxidation a water or oxygen plasma can be used, nitridation is done using nitrogen plasma. To achieve the deposition in the ALD mode, the sample is heated up to a certain temperature, for most processes being in the range from 150 to 300 °C.
- Teacher: Marek Eliáš