Development of atomic layer deposition precursors

在过去的十年中，计算机处理能力、处理速度和存储器需求急剧增加。这是由于能够构造更小和更高质量的微电子器件。为了保持微电子性能的这种改善，器件必须在保持或改善器件质量的同时继续减小尺寸。通过薄膜沉积技术，对器件产生的控制以及由此对器件质量的控制已经大大增强。在微电子器件制造中，存款非常薄、非常均匀和高度可再现的膜的能力是必需的。当今微芯片制造中使用的主要技术之一是化学气相沉积（CVD），其中允许前体化合物的蒸气在衬底表面处热反应以存款目标材料，同时释放挥发性非反应性副产物。这种方法有几个优点，最重要的是在复杂的几何形状上沉积均匀的薄膜。该技术的主要缺点是在生长膜中包含杂质，以及膜厚度的控制，特别是对于纳米级厚度。原子层沉积（ALD）是CVD的创新，其中初始前体不会在衬底上热分解。ALD的主要优点是能够一次生长一个原子层的薄膜。这种技术目前正被集成到微电子生产中，以在微电子晶体管中形成非常薄（厚度约为4个原子）的氧化物膜。虽然控制膜的厚度是至关重要的，但控制沉积面积将允许形成可定义的纳米级特征。本研究计画提出设计可选择性存款特定目标薄膜的沉积前驱物。控制各种目标膜的纳米级厚度的能力将提供一种通用且强大的方法，以实现关键的研究和开发部门，如纳米技术，光子学和微电子学。 这一领域的研究将培养必要的高素质人才，将ALD技术融入加拿大的研究和工业

Computer processing power, processing speed, and memory requirements have increased dramatically in the last ten years. This is due to the ability to construct smaller and higher quality microelectronic devices. In order to maintain this improvement in microelectronics performance, devices must continue to decrease in size while maintaining or improving the quality of the devices. Control over device creation and thus device quality has been greatly enhanced by thin film deposition techniques. The ability to deposit very thin, extremely uniform, and highly reproducible films is a necessity in microelectronic device fabrication. One of the main techniques used in microchip manufacturing today is chemical vapour deposition (CVD), where a vapour of a precursor compound is allowed to thermally react at a substrate surface to deposit a target material while releasing volatile, non-reactive side products. This method has several advantages, the foremost being the deposition of uniform films on complex geometries. The major drawbacks of this technique are inclusion of impurities in the growing film, and control of film thickness, particularly for nanoscale thicknesses. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an innovation of CVD where the initial precursor does not thermally decompose on the substrate. The principal benefit of ALD is the ability to grow films one atom layer at a time. This technique is presently being integrated into microelectronics production to form very thin (~4 atoms in thickness) oxide films in microelectronic transistors. Although control of the thickness of a film is of paramount importance, control of the area of deposition will allow definable, nanoscale features to be formed. This research project proposes to design deposition precursors that will selectively deposit specific target films. The ability to control nanoscale thicknesses of a variety of target films will provide a versatile and powerful method to enable key research and development sectors such as nanotechnology, photonics and microelectronics. Research in this area will develop the necessary highly qualified personnel to integrate ALD technology into Canadian research and industry