WhitePaper: Atomic Layer Deposition at RhySearch

Einführung

Atomic Layer Deposition is a chemical vapour technique to deposit thin films via alternating cycles of a material precursor and a co-reactant, enabling the deposition of a wide range of materials for different applications. The technique was developed in Finland in the 1970s and first applied commercially for components used in large displays [1]. After its adoption for DRAM in the early 2000s and subsequent use in 2007 as a gate material in CMOS processes, it is now well established as a standard process in the semiconductor industry. The surge of interest in the technique also drove an increased effort in precursor development to expand the range of available materials [2]. Since the early 2000s there has also been a significant increase in the number of manufacturers worldwide which are offering commercial ALD systems. For the optics community the potential of this technique is of growing interest as component geometries increase in complexity and given the potential of utilizing ALD for conformal deposition of such structures.