We investigate the time evolution of ZnO thin film growth in oxygen plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. The recently proposed dynamic-dual-box-model approach [Kilic et al., Sci. Rep. 10, 10392 (2020)] is used to analyze the spectroscopic data post-growth. With the help of this model, we explore the in-cycle surface modifications and reveal the repetitive layer-by-layer growth and surface roughness modification mechanisms during the ZnO ultrathin film deposition. The in situ complex-valued dielectric function of the amorphous ZnO thin film is also determined from the model analysis for photon energies of 1.7–4 eV. The dielectric function is analyzed using a critical point model approach providing parameters for bandgap energy, amplitude, and broadening in addition to the index of refraction and extinction coefficient. The dynamic-dual-box-model analysis reveals the initial nucleation phase where the surface roughness changes due to nucleation and island growth prior to film coalescence, which then lead to the surface conformal layer-by-layer growth with constant surface roughness. The thickness evolution is resolved with Angstrom-scale resolution vs time. We propose this method for fast development of growth recipes from real-time in situ data analysis. We also present and discuss results from x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy to examine crystallographic, chemical, and morphological characteristics of the ZnO film.
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In-cycle evolution of thickness and roughness parameters during oxygen plasma enhanced ZnO atomic layer deposition using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry
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September 2024
Research Article|
September 06 2024
In-cycle evolution of thickness and roughness parameters during oxygen plasma enhanced ZnO atomic layer deposition using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry
Special Collection:
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)
Yousra Traouli
;
Yousra Traouli
a)
(Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
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Ufuk Kilic
;
Ufuk Kilic
b)
(Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
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Sema G. Kilic
;
Sema G. Kilic
(Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
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Matthew Hilfiker
;
Matthew Hilfiker
(Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
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Daniel Schmidt
;
Daniel Schmidt
(Methodology)
2
IBM Research
, 257 Fuller Rd, Albany, New York 12203
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Stefan Schoeche;
Stefan Schoeche
(Methodology)
3
J.A. Woollam Co., Inc.
, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
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Eva Schubert
;
Eva Schubert
(Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
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Mathias Schubert
Mathias Schubert
(Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
, Lincoln, Nebraska 685884
NanoLund and Solid State Physics, Lund University
, 22100 Lund, Sweden
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a)
Electronic mail: ytraouli2@huskers.unl.edu
b)
Electronic mail: ufukkilic@unl.edu
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 42, 052403 (2024)
Article history
Received:
June 13 2024
Accepted:
August 15 2024
Citation
Yousra Traouli, Ufuk Kilic, Sema G. Kilic, Matthew Hilfiker, Daniel Schmidt, Stefan Schoeche, Eva Schubert, Mathias Schubert; In-cycle evolution of thickness and roughness parameters during oxygen plasma enhanced ZnO atomic layer deposition using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 September 2024; 42 (5): 052403. https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0003830
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