Film conformality is one of the major drivers for the interest in atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. This work presents new silicon-based microscopic lateral high-aspect-ratio (LHAR) test structures for the analysis of the conformality of thin films deposited by ALD and by other chemical vapor deposition means. The microscopic LHAR structures consist of a lateral cavity inside silicon with a roof supported by pillars. The cavity length (e.g., 20–5000 μm) and cavity height (e.g., 200–1000 nm) can be varied, giving aspect ratios of, e.g., 20:1 to 25 000:1. Film conformality can be analyzed with the microscopic LHAR by several means, as demonstrated for the ALD Al2O3 and TiO2 processes from Me3Al/H2O and TiCl4/H2O. The microscopic LHAR test structures introduced in this work expose a new parameter space for thin film conformality investigations expected to prove useful in the development, tuning and modeling of ALD and other chemical vapor deposition processes.
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January 2015
Letter|
December 15 2014
Microscopic silicon-based lateral high-aspect-ratio structures for thin film conformality analysis
Feng Gao;
Feng Gao
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
, Tietotie 3, 02044 Espoo, Finland
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Sanna Arpiainen;
Sanna Arpiainen
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
, Tietotie 3, 02044 Espoo, Finland
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Riikka L. Puurunen
Riikka L. Puurunen
a)
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
, Tietotie 3, 02044 Espoo, Finland
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a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: riikka.puurunen@vtt.fi
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 33, 010601 (2015)
Article history
Received:
September 30 2014
Accepted:
December 01 2014
Citation
Feng Gao, Sanna Arpiainen, Riikka L. Puurunen; Microscopic silicon-based lateral high-aspect-ratio structures for thin film conformality analysis. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 January 2015; 33 (1): 010601. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.4903941
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