LabAdviser/Technology Research/Nanoscale characterization of ultra-thin metal films for nanofabrication applications: Difference between revisions
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==Project Description== | ==Project Description== | ||
The aim of this Ph.D. project is to obtain a deeper understanding of the interaction at the nanoscale level between ultra-thin metal films used in micro/nanofabrication, exploiting the unique capabilities of thin-film fabrication and characterization offered by the combination of the DTU Danchip/Cen facilities. | |||
With the constant miniaturization of the devices and the fabrication of increasingly complex multi-material structures, the interaction between different ultra-thin layers has gained considerable importance in the field of thin-film science and technology in recent years. Therefore the characterization of such interactions in a wide range of temperatures and the description of their impact on the chemical composition, morphology and distribution of crystallographic orientations of multilayer thin-films is of utmost importance. | |||
The project focuses in particular on the description of the interaction between noble metal films, widely used in different areas of micro- and nanofabrication, and extremely thin films of reactive transition metals, used to enhance adhesion onto the substrate - and thus referred as ``adhesion layers". Different material and multilayer combinations are investigated; particular emphasis is placed on the description and use of the recently developed transmission Kikuchi diffraction technique for the in-situ study of thin-film nanostructure evolution with changing chemical composition and temperature. | |||
Metal thin films have reached very high importance in several technology branches, ranging from semiconductor industry to production of substrates for graphene growth, to photonics and photovoltaics applications, to catalysis purposes, to diffusion barrier coatings. | Metal thin films have reached very high importance in several technology branches, ranging from semiconductor industry to production of substrates for graphene growth, to photonics and photovoltaics applications, to catalysis purposes, to diffusion barrier coatings. | ||
Between them an extremely important role is played by adhesion layers, permitting uniform deposition of films over substrates of completely different materials. | Between them an extremely important role is played by adhesion layers, permitting uniform deposition of films over substrates of completely different materials. | ||
Revision as of 16:22, 10 January 2018
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Nanoscale characterization of ultra-thin metal films for nanofabrication applications
- Project type: Ph.D. project
- Project responsible: Matteo Todeschini
- Supervisors:
- Partners involved: DTU Danchip,
Project Description
The aim of this Ph.D. project is to obtain a deeper understanding of the interaction at the nanoscale level between ultra-thin metal films used in micro/nanofabrication, exploiting the unique capabilities of thin-film fabrication and characterization offered by the combination of the DTU Danchip/Cen facilities.
With the constant miniaturization of the devices and the fabrication of increasingly complex multi-material structures, the interaction between different ultra-thin layers has gained considerable importance in the field of thin-film science and technology in recent years. Therefore the characterization of such interactions in a wide range of temperatures and the description of their impact on the chemical composition, morphology and distribution of crystallographic orientations of multilayer thin-films is of utmost importance.
The project focuses in particular on the description of the interaction between noble metal films, widely used in different areas of micro- and nanofabrication, and extremely thin films of reactive transition metals, used to enhance adhesion onto the substrate - and thus referred as ``adhesion layers". Different material and multilayer combinations are investigated; particular emphasis is placed on the description and use of the recently developed transmission Kikuchi diffraction technique for the in-situ study of thin-film nanostructure evolution with changing chemical composition and temperature.
Metal thin films have reached very high importance in several technology branches, ranging from semiconductor industry to production of substrates for graphene growth, to photonics and photovoltaics applications, to catalysis purposes, to diffusion barrier coatings.
Between them an extremely important role is played by adhesion layers, permitting uniform deposition of films over substrates of completely different materials.
However, even if the importance of these layers is remarkable and constantly increasing, the adhesion layer materials used in the past were usually found in an empiric way, looking more at their benefits than at their structure, without very much knowledge of their structure-physical properties correlation.
Part of this Ph.D. project is dedicated to the systematic deposition of adhesion layers, varying:
- deposition conditions;
- material type;
- deposition techniques for the same material.
These studies will be performed in order to achieve a complete understanding of the atomic mechanisms that makes a particular material useful as adhesion layer, and also why these layers work much better with some materials than others.
Atomic Layer Deposition is a thin film technique that has obtained high interest in the last 15 years in different applied fields for its properties of accurate thickness control, self-limiting behavior, high aspect-ratio structures coverage, large area films. Nevertheless any in-situ imaging study has been performed until now for the accurate description and comprehension of all the phenomena and problems that occur during ALD growth. Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy (E-TEM) is an imaging technique at atomic level, widely used for biological and catalysis studies, that permits the study of reactions occurring at the interface between solid substrates and liquid/gaseous compounds. Part of this Ph.D. project is dedicated to the use of E-TEM for the study of in-situ Platinum thin film ALD deposition, for the complete and accurate comprehension of the deposition mechanisms that underlay this kind of growth, and also to give an explanation of the problems that can affect the production of thin metallic layers with the desired properties.