Hye-Lee
Kim‡
ab,
Okhyeon
Kim‡
a,
Yong Richard
Sriwijaya
a,
Khabib
Khumaini
ac,
Romel
Hidayat
d and
Won-Jun
Lee
*ab
aDepartment of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, 05006, Republic of Korea. E-mail: wjlee@sejong.ac.kr
bMetal–organic Compounds Materials Research Center, Sejong University, Seoul, 05006, Republic of Korea
cDepartment of Chemistry, Universitas Pertamina, Jakarta 12220, Indonesia
dPT PLN, Jakarta 12160, Indonesia
First published on 24th January 2025
We investigated the reaction mechanism of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) by integrating experiments and calculations. The ALD process by alternating the supply of tris(dimethylamino)cyclopentadienyl zirconium (CpZr(NMe2)3) and ozone (O3) was examined using an in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and the successive surface reaction of the Zr precursor was simulated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The QCM analysis suggests that two NMe2 ligands are released during the first half-cycle of ALD. The DFT calculations indicate that the first two NMe2 ligands are released during the chemisorption of the Zr precursor with low activation energies of 0.22 eV and 0.16 eV. Conversely, the release of the Cp ligand or the third NMe2 ligand was unfavorable due to its endothermic nature and high activation energy. Upon completion of the chemisorption of the Zr precursor, the resulting surface species would be O2ZrCp(NMe2)*, which is in agreement with the QCM results. The integration of the QCM experiment and the DFT calculations is an effective approach to elucidate the ALD reaction mechanism, especially when a heteroleptic precursor is used.
The ALD process using CpZr(NMe2)3 and H2O has been examined by in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) at 250 °C.12 The authors concluded that one Cp ligand per two Zr atoms remains adsorbed at the end of the precursor pulse. However, if this conclusion is correct, the Zr atoms are not sufficiently passivated by the ligands and interact with other Zr precursor molecules, which differs from the ideal ALD process in which the submonolayer grows in a self-limiting manner.
The surface reaction mechanisms of CpZr(NMe2)3 have also been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.13–15 The two successive ligand exchange reactions of CpZr(NMe2)3 with two surface OH groups were simulated using the (OH)2–Si21H24 cluster model, which mimics hydroxylated Si(100).13 The reactions were endothermic, making it challenging to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of film growth. In contrast, another study investigated the three successive ligand exchange reactions of CpZr(NMe2)3 with three surface OH groups using the (OH)4–Si15O10H16 cluster model, which mimics hydroxylated SiO2.14 The three reactions, which successively release three HNMe2 molecules, were plausible due to their exothermic nature and low activation energy values. The other study used the (OH)4–Si15H16 cluster model, which mimics the OH-terminated Si(100) surface, and also claimed that three ligand exchange reactions were exothermic, releasing three HNMe2 molecules.15 Consequently, both studies conclude that CpZr(NMe2)3 reacts with the surface to form −ZrCp*, where the asterisk denotes the surface species. However, this conclusion does not agree with the experiment, which expected a Cp per two Zr atoms.12 Since the models mimic OH-passivated Si or SiO2, the mechanism they studied would represent the initial stage of the ALD process. Furthermore, the studies did not consider the reactions that release the Cp ligand. No study has combined in situ characterization experiments and theoretical studies to gain a deeper understanding of the ALD process.
In this study, we investigated the surface reactions of CpZr(NMe2)3 precursor during the ALD of ZrO2 by combining in situ QCM experiments and DFT calculations. First, in situ QCM analysis was conducted to examine the surface species after the precursor dose. O3 was selected as the oxygen source due to shorter purge times than H2O16 and better step coverage than O2 plasma.17 Next, DFT calculations were performed to investigate the surface reactions of CpZr(NMe2)3 on ZrO2. The ZrO2 slab model previously employed in the DFT study using Zr(NMe2)418 was also utilized in the present study. The adsorption, reaction, and activation energies were calculated for the three successive surface reactions of CpZr(NMe2)3 with ZrO2. Furthermore, the atomistic geometries of the transition states were investigated and discussed. Finally, based on the results from the in situ QCM and DFT studies, the final chemisorbed species was predicted and compared with the results for Zr(NMe2)4 in the previous study.
The substrate model that was previously used in our research was also employed in this study.18Fig. 1 shows a 2 × 2 supercell slab model of monoclinic ZrO2 (−111). The slab consists of 32 Zr, 72 O, and 16 H atoms. The top and bottom layers were passivated with eight OH groups, resulting in a surface OH density of 4.5 nm−2. The bottom half was fixed, while the top half was relaxed for all DFT calculations.
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Fig. 1 Schematic illustration of (a) the monoclinic ZrO2 (−111) slab model and (b) the reaction sites considered for the chemisorption of Zr precursor. Interatomic distances are given in Å. |
For each reaction path, the reactant (R), product (P), and transition states (TS) were established. Additionally, the unbound reactant (UR) state, representing a system devoid of interaction between the precursor molecule and the substrate, was considered for the initial step of the chemisorption process. The energy of the UR state was calculated as the sum of the substrate energy (Esubstrate) and the isolated precursor energy (Eprecursor). The R1 state represents the physisorption of the Zr precursor, whereas R2 and R3 are the states where the first and second byproducts are removed, respectively. The product states with one, two, and three Zr–O bonds are P1, P2, and P3, respectively. TS1, TS2, and TS3 are transition states. The physisorption energy (Ephy), reaction energy (ΔEn), and activation energy (EAn) were defined as follows:
Ephy = ER1 − (Esubstrate + Eprecursor) | (1) |
ΔEn = EPn − ERn | (2) |
EAn = ETSn − ERn | (3) |
The bond dissociation energy (BDE) was calculated using the same methodology employed in our previous publication.18 The ZrO2 slab was used to calculate the BDE of Zr–O and O–H, while the Zr precursor molecule was used for calculating the BDE of Zr–N.
Fig. 3 shows the typical change in QCM resonance frequency that occurs by alternating the supply of CpZr(NMe2)3 and O3. The frequency change during one ALD cycle was 4.2 Hz, which corresponds to the GPC of 0.55 Å, assuming the film density of 4.86 g cm−3.30 The resonance frequency decrease observed during the CpZr(NMe2)3 pulse is primarily attributed to a mass increase by precursor chemisorption. In contrast, the frequency increase during the O3 pulse is due to a mass decrease by the combustion reaction, which forms an oxide film. Δf1 denotes the frequency change observed during the precursor pulse, while Δf0 represents the frequency change observed throughout a complete cycle. The Δf0/Δf1 values exhibited a nearly constant ratio of 0.64 ± 0.03.
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Fig. 3 Change in resonance frequency throughout the ZrO2 ALD process at 230 °C. CpZr(NMe2)3 and O3 were alternatingly supplied with pulse times of 7 s and 60 s, respectively. |
For the first half-cycle of the ALD process, the reactions of the Cp and NMe2 ligands of CpZr(NMe2)3 with the hydroxyl groups on ZrO2 were assumed to occur, resulting in the release of HCp and HNMe2, respectively. The reaction equation is as follows:
(x + y)–OH(s)* + CpZr(NMe2)3(g) → (–O–)(x+y)Cp1−xZr(NMe2)3−y(s)* + xHCp(g) + yHNMe2(g) | (4) |
![]() | (5) |
Number of Cp released (x) | Number of NMe2 released (y) | Estimated Δf0/Δf1 |
---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0.46 |
0 | 1 | 0.54 |
0 | 2 | 0.67 |
0 | 3 | 0.86 |
1 | 0 | 0.59 |
1 | 1 | 0.75 |
1 | 2 | 1.00 |
1 | 3 | 1.52 |
Fig. 5 shows the energy diagrams of the first ligand exchange reaction of CpZr(NMe2)3, from UR to P1a or P1bviaR1α, R1β, or R1γ. The adsorption energies of CpZr(NMe2)3 were −1.31 eV, −1.11 eV, and −1.07 eV for R1α, R1β, and R1γ, respectively, indicating that the precursor would adsorb well on ZrO2. The reaction from R1 to P1a, releasing HNMe2, was exothermic, with the reaction energy, ΔE1a, of −0.62 eV to −0.86 eV. The EA1a values, representing the activation energy for three reaction paths from R1 to P1a, were relatively low at 0.22 eV in TS1αa, 0.19 eV in TS1βa, and 0.94 eV in TS1γa. TS1αa, TS1βa, and TS1γa represent the transition states between R1α, R1β, and R1γ and P1a. However, the reaction from R1 to P1b, which releases HCp, was endothermic, with ΔE1b values of 0.10–0.34 eV. The EA1b of the paths from R1 to P1b ranged from 1.66 eV to 3.98 eV. The change in entropy is relatively small because the reaction byproduct remains on the surface. Therefore, P1a paths are favored over P1b paths due to low activation energies. These results also indicate that the activation energies can vary depending on the initial orientation of the CpZr(NMe2)3 molecule.
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Fig. 5 Energy diagrams for the first reaction of CpZr(NMe2)3 from three reactant states, R1α, R1β, and R1γ, to two product states, (a) P1a and (b) P1b. |
The energy diagram for the three successive ligand exchange reactions of CpZr(NMe2)3 on the ZrO2 surface is illustrated in Fig. 6. For the first reaction, the paths from the R1α shown in Fig. 5 were employed in Fig. 6 due to the lowest energy values. For all reactions, the pathways releasing HCp were endothermic and exhibited higher EA values than those releasing HNMe2. It can, therefore, be postulated that the surface reactions proceed through the HNMe2-releasing pathways. The desorption processes of HNMe2 from the product states in Fig. 6 were endothermic. However, P1, P2, or P3 would be transformed into R2, R3, and UP at ALD process temperatures because the desorption processes were spontaneous due to the entropy increase at temperatures above 0 °C in the previous study.18
Fig. 7 presents the atomistic structural changes during the reaction from R1 to P1. The following equations can describe the two paths for this reaction:
–OH* + CpZr(NMe2)3 → –OZrCp(NMe2)2* + HNMe2 | (6) |
–OH* + CpZr(NMe2)3 → –OZr(NMe2)3* + HCp | (7) |
In the paths leading to the formation of P1a, the N1–H1 bond was formed without dissociation of any bond in all TS1a states. This resulted in relatively low activation energy values, as shown in Fig. 5, although the Zr–N1 bond was extended. Since the Zr–N1 bond was the shortest at 2.27 Å in TS1αa, the activation energy of the path from R1α was the lowest at 0.22 eV. In contrast, the paths leading to the formation of P1b involve the dissociation of the Cp–Zr bond or the loss of aromaticity of Cp in TS1b states, resulting in relatively high activation energies, as shown in Fig. 5. In TS1αb, the H1 atom was dissociated from O to migrate to Cp and form the H1–Cp bond, which resulted in the loss of aromaticity. The Zr-η1-CpH bond in TS1αb is considerably weaker than the Zr-η5-Cp bond in the R1α states, resulting in an activation energy of 1.66 eV, despite the formation of the Zr–O1 bond. In TS1βb and TS1γb, higher activation energies of 3.98 and 1.95 eV were obtained due to the dissociation of the Cp–Zr bond despite the formation of the Zr–O1 or H1–Cp bond.
Fig. 8 shows the atomistic structural changes for the reaction from R2 to P2. The following equations describe the two paths for this reaction:
–OH* + –OZrCp(NMe2)2* → –O2ZrCp(NMe2)* + HNMe2 | (8) |
–OH* + –OZrCp(NMe2)2* → –O2Zr(NMe2)2* + HCp | (9) |
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Fig. 8 The atomistic structural changes for the paths from R2 to two product states, P2a and P2b. The dotted lines indicate hydrogen bonds. Bond lengths are given in Å. |
The atomistic structure of TS2a was analogous to that of TS1a, with the N2–H2 bond formed and the Zr–N2 bond elongated from 2.09 Å to 2.22 Å, resulting in a low activation energy of 0.16 eV. TS2b, similar to TS1αb, also lost the aromaticity of Cp resulting from the migration of H2 to Cp. However, it showed a relatively high activation energy of 2.26 eV because the Zr–O2 bond was not yet formed.
Fig. 9 shows the atomistic structural changes that occur during the reaction from R3 to P3. Two paths were also assumed as follows:
–OH* + –O2ZrCp(NMe2)* → –O3ZrCp* + HNMe2 | (10) |
–OH* + –O2ZrCp(NMe2)* → –O3Zr(NMe2)* + HCp | (11) |
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Fig. 9 The atomistic structural changes for the paths from R3 to two product states, P3a and P3b. The dotted lines indicate hydrogen bonds. Bond lengths are given in Å. |
The activation energy for the path represented by eqn (10), which releases HNMe2, was 0.90 eV, which is higher than those of eqn (6) and (8) in the reactions to P1 and P2. In TS3a, the Zr–O3 and Zr–N3 bonds were elongated, and H3b migrated from −OH3b* to the neighboring −OH3a* to form −OH2*. The activation energy for eqn (11), which releases HCp, was 2.13 eV. In TS3b, the Zr–Cp bond was dissociated, and H3b migrated from −OH3b* to form HCp. The Zr–O3 bond has not yet been formed. Consequently, the reaction to P3 would be energetically unfavorable in contrast to the reactions to P1 and P2.
The above DFT calculations predict that CpZr(NMe2)3 reacts with ZrO2 to form O2ZrCp(NMe2)* surface species, which agrees with the results of the QCM analysis. The surface reaction of CpZr(NMe2)3 is expected to proceed along paths that release two HNMe2 molecules one at a time, while the release of HCp is expected to be unfavorable. Therefore, the surface reactions of CpZr(NMe2)3, a heteroleptic precursor, were similar to those of Zr(NMe2)4, a homoleptic precursor reported in our previous publication.18Table 2 compares the calculated energy values for the surface reaction of Zr(NMe2)4 and CpZr(NMe2)3. For the HNMe2 releasing paths, CpZr(NMe2)3 exhibited similar reaction and activation energy values to those of Zr(NMe2)4. The slight difference in energy values can be explained by the difference in BDE in the two compounds. For example, the EA2 of 0.16 eV for CpZr(NMe2)3 is lower than 0.24 eV for Zr(NMe2)4 due to the lower BDE of the Zr–N bond in CpZr(NMe2)3 compared to that in Zr(NMe2)4. The strong Cp–Zr bond results in a BDE of the Zr–N bond of 3.64 eV in CpZr(NMe2)3, which is lower than the BDE of 3.74 eV for Zr(NMe2)4.
Reaction step | Energy (eV) | Zr(NMe2)418 | CpZr(NMe2)3 (this study) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
HNMe2 release | HCp release | |||
Physisorption | E ads | −1.16 | −1.31 | −1.31 |
1st reaction | ΔE1 | −0.68 | −0.62 | 0.34 |
E A1 | 0.19 | 0.22 | 1.66 | |
2nd reaction | ΔE2 | −1.06 | −0.81 | 0.42 |
E A2 | 0.24 | 0.16 | 2.26 | |
3rd reaction | ΔE3 | 0.64 | 0.77 | 1.61 |
E A3 | 0.75 | 0.90 | 2.13 |
Footnotes |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ma00966e |
‡ H.-L. Kim and O. Kim are equally contributing first authors. |
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2025 |