Themed collection Spotlight Collection: Atomic and Molecular Layer Deposition

Area selective deposition by super-cycle alternating atomic layer deposition and etch-back processes.

Liquid atomic layer deposition (LALD) has emerged as a complementary technology of atomic layer deposition (ALD) to help overcome some of the challenges currently faced from working in the gas-phase.

In the present Perspective article, synthetic and structural aspects, reactivity studies and applications of platinum group metal complexes containing guanidinate ligands are discussed.

Vapor-phase fabrication of the metal–organic framework ZIF-8 through the conversion of precursors prepared by physical, atomic, and molecular layer deposition.

Coinage metal bicyclic amidinates for chemical vapor deposition.

The growth behavior of ALD metallic Ir has been explored on various surfaces and in AAO nanopores systematically. The surface hydrophilicity and O₂ partial pressure are crucial. The Ir infiltration depth into AAO follows a diffusion-limited model.

Our work presents a new process for the spatial atomic layer deposition (SALD) of SnO₂ thin films from tin(II) acetylacetonate and water, supported by a DFT study of different Sn metalorganic precursors.

The electronic band alignment of an alumina/zinc oxide thin-film heterostructure solely grown by atomic layer deposition has been determined by XPS/UPS depth profiling, correlating the electronic properties with the interface chemical composition.

Dimethylaluminum isopropoxide (DMAI) and ethylene glycol (EG) yield alucone films with properties similar to those of films prepared using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and EG but with much higher deposition rates (nm s⁻¹).

An easy approach is presented to determine vapor pressures of complexes and thus to evaluate “a priori” their suitability as precursors for AP-MOCVD or spatial ALD. Fluorinated Mg and Ca compounds have been applied to the AP-MOCVD of MF₂ films.

In₂O₃ thin films are deposited using thermal atomic layer deposition with an indium(III) triazenide precursor and water. The films and deposition process are on par with the previously reported indium(III) formamidinate.

The newly developed ternary Li_xZr_yO coating via a super-ALD process remarkably improves the performance of NMC622 cathodes in lithium-ion batteries.

TiO₂–BN–Pd materials were successfully prepared by combining electrospinning and atomic layer deposition. The obtained materials show outstanding properties for the degradation of acetaminophen (ACT) under UV and visible light as well as high stability and recyclability.

We demonstrate the atomic layer deposition synthesis of a family of alkali (Li, Na, K) phosphorus oxynitride (APON) ion-conducting films. The reaction parameters, chemical structure, and electrochemical properties of each material are summarized.

MLD growth evolution depends on the deposition surface and monomer structure of the deposited film.

ALD/MLD hybrid 2D tincone films were investigated structurally post-annealing. GIWAXS showed that individual benzene ring bonds were combined with the SnO layer in a repeated arrangement of the tincone monomer.

Both a cobalt- and (novel) nickel phosphate deposited through a plasma-enhanced ALD process have been characterised as an LIB electrode.

A new ozone-based route for excellent control of complex alkali oxides by ALD.

This study introduces the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of tin selenide thin films. By changing the growth temperature, the chemical composition of the Sn/Se ratio could be varied for the given precursor injection conditions.

High-temperature heat pulses interleaved with ALD cycling enables the growth of heteroepitaxial ZnO on c-plane sapphire substrates. This “pulsed-heating” ALD separates the chemistry delivery process from the material’s structural crystallization.

Amidoenoate complexes of Al and Ga have been synthesised and their coordination chemistry studied in relation to precursor stability. A selection of the complexes were used in aerosol assisted CVD to deposit thin films of Al₂O₃ and Ga₂O₃.

Insights into atomic layer deposition chemistries enable sodium manganese oxide thin film cathodes for sodium ion battery research.

The thermal atomic layer deposition of rhenium nitride and rhenium metal thin films is presented using methyltrioxorhenium and 1,1-dimethylhydrazine. Methyltrioxorhenium is halogen-free and rhenium films are obtained after a thermal annealing step.

Two counter reactants, H₂O and O₃, were individually employed, as well as in combination with consecutive exposure by H₂O–O₃ and O₃–H₂O. The film growth behaviors and properties differed when the sequence of exposure of the substrate to the reactants was varied.

First principles investigation of the molecular mechanism of Al₂O₃-based hybrid materials grown with homo- or hetero-bifunctional aromatic compounds with hydroxy (OH) and/or amino (NH₂) terminal groups.

High-quality nickel-terephthalate thin films can be grown through gas-phase atomic/molecular layer deposition using Ni(thd)₂ and terephthalic acid as precursors.

The prolonged exposure time in ALI process benefited the infiltration of precursors into the subsurface of polymer substrates, and the modified PEN substrate with tuned surface chemistry showed excellent barrier property and mechanical stability.

Al₂O₃/Alucone multi-layer films fabricated by alternate ALD/MLD process were evaluated for the gas diffusion barrier property for H₂O and H₂, indicating enhanced tortuosity and flexibility of multi-layer structure.

Amorphous AlN films grown from TMA and MMH were obtained and investigated. The amount of impurities varied from 3 to 9 at% for carbon, and 4 to 12 at% for oxygen. The values of mechanical characteristics were ∼14 GPa (hardness) and ∼164 GPa (Young's modulus).

A new ALD process using easily synthesized CoCl₂(TMEDA) and H₂S enables deposition of ultrathin, highly conductive and thermally stable Co₉S₈ films selectively on SiO₂ without growth on Si–H.

The two-dimensional material and semiconducting dichalcogenide hafnium disulfide is deposited at room temperature by atomic layer deposition from molecular precursors dissolved in hexane.

Quinizarin is a well-suited molecule for obtaining strongly colored materials by atomic layer deposition.

In MLD of alucone using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and ethylene glycol (EG), TMA is known to infiltrate into the MLD film taking very long to outgas. An insufficient purge can then lead to an additional CVD component in the overall growth.

Ternary coordination polymers deposited by hybrid molecular layer deposition (MLD) techniques are of interest as highly conformal, functional materials.

Novel hierarchical CuNiAl layered double hydroxide (CuNiAl LDH) nanotubes were prepared with the help of atomic layer deposition (ALD) method and exhibited excellent peroxidase mimicking property.

Crystalline MoS₂ thin films are deposited via MOCVD using a new molybdenum precursor, 1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,4-diazabutadienyl-bis(tert-butylimido)molybdenum(VI) [Mo(N^tBu)₂(^tBu₂DAD)], and elemental sulfur.

Providing a deeper understanding of alkali metal-containing ternary processes in ALD by in situ FT-IR and QCM mechanistic studies.

We demonstrate the fabrication of in-situ crystalline thin films of various azobenzene (AZO) based photoresponsive metal–organic structures using the atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) technique.

We tailor mechanical properties of molecular-layer-deposited inorganic–organic films through control over the organic precursor length, relevant for battery applications.

First principles investigation of the molecular mechanism of the growth of hybrid organic–inorganic thin films of aluminium alkoxides, known as “alucones”.

Novel zinc precursors were designed, synthesized and used for the deposition of ZnO thin films by ALD.

The combination of carbon nanotubes with transition metal oxides can exhibit complementary charge storage properties for use as electrode materials for next generation energy storage devices.

Crystalline Li-terephthalate and amino-functionalized Li-terephthalate thin film electrodes are fabricated from gaseous precursors with ALD/MLD to show that the electron-donating amino group lowers the redox potential.

The synthesis of MLD-derived mesoporous ZnO with 20% of porosity is demonstrated and studied by advanced in situ characterization techniques.

Superior photoelectrochemical performance of zinc oxide nanowire arrays is achieved by compactly coating MOF zinc glycolate with p-type conductivity.

Correlation between the porosity and environmental stability of Zn-based hybrid multilayer films is studied by means of ellipsometric porosimetry.

Aluminum dihydride complexes containing amido-amine ligands were synthesized and evaluated as potential reducing precursors for thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD).

Wet and heat treatments of different alucones result in porous alumina with tuneable porosity and pore size.