Chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition of metal oxide and nitride thin films

Processes for depositing thin films with various electronic, optical, mechanical, and chemical properties are indispensable in many industries today. Of the many deposition methods available, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has proved over time to be one of the most flexible, efficient, and cost-effective. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a newer process that is gaining favor as a method for depositing films with excellent properties and unparalleled precision. This work describes the development of novel CVD and ALD processes to deposit a variety of materials.; Hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide show promise as replacements for SiO ₂ as gate dielectrics in future-generation transistors. These high-k materials would provide sufficient capacitance with layers thick enough to avoid leakage from tunneling. An ALD method is presented here for depositing conformal hafnium oxide from tetrakis-(diethylamido)hafnium and oxygen gas. A CVD method for depositing zirconium oxide from tetrakis-(dialkylamido)zirconium and either oxygen gas or water vapor is also described.; The use of copper for interconnects in integrated circuits requires improved diffusion barrier materials, given its high diffusivity compared to the previously-used aluminum and tungsten. Tungsten nitride has a low resistivity among barrier materials, and can be deposited in amorphous films that are effective diffusion barriers in layers as thin as a few nanometers. Here we demonstrate CVD and plasma-enhanced CVD methods to deposit tungsten nitride films from bis-(dialkylamido)bis-( tert-butylimido)tungsten precursors and ammonia gas.; Recent findings had shown uniform copper growth on tantalum silicate films, without the dewetting that usually occurs on oxide surfaces. Tantalum and tungsten silicates were deposited by a CVD reaction from the reaction of either tris-(diethylamido)ethylimido tantalum or bis-(ethylmethylamido)-bis-( tert-butylimido)tungsten with tris-(tert-butoxy)silanol. The ability of evaporated copper layers to wet these surfaces was also investigated.; Electrochromic materials are being developed for use in energy-conserving “smart windows” that can control light transmission by varying the voltage across the layer Electrochromic tungsten oxide was deposited from the reaction of tungsten pentacarbonyl alkylisonitriles with oxygen gas.; Fluorine-doped tin oxide is a well known transparent conducting oxide (TCO), and zinc stannate has shown promise as a useful TCO with potentially high carrier mobility. A method for depositing fluorine-doped tin oxide from a single-source precursor, dimethyltin-bis-(1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-hexanedionate), and oxygen gas is presented. Zinc stannate was also deposited by CVD, using zinc acetylacetonate and dibutyltin-bis-(acetylacetonate) and oxygen gas.