Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of Alumina

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Deposition of aluminium oxide

Aluminium oxide (Alumina, Al2O3) can be deposited by use of ALD (atomic layer deposition) or by sputtering. During the sputter deposition oxygen is added to the chamber resulting in aluminium oxide on the sample.

Comparison of the methods for deposition of Alumium Oxide

Sputter-System(Lesker) Sputter-System Metal-Oxide(PC1) ALD Picosun 200
Generel description
  • RF sputtering from Al2O3 target
  • Reactive sputtering
  • RF sputtering from Al2O3 target
  • Pulsed DC reactive sputtering
  • Reactive HIPIMS (high-power impulse magnetron sputtering)
  • ALD (atomic layer deposition) of Al2O3
Stoichiometry
  • Not tested
  • Not tested
  • Al2O3, very good
Film Thickness
  • few nm - 200 nm
  • few nm - 200-300 nm
  • 0nm - 100 nm
Deposition rate
  • 0.3 nm/min
  • About 1.7 nm/min, depends on sputtering parameters
  • 0.088 - 0.097 nm/cycle (Using the "Al2O3" recipe, temperature dependent)
Step coverage
  • unknown
  • unknown
  • Very good. Covers sample everywhere (but long purge time needed for very high aspect ratio structures)
Process Temperature
  • Up to 400 °C
  • Up to 600 °C
  • 150 °C - 350 °C:
More info on Al2O3
Substrate size
  • chips
  • 1x 100 mm wafer
  • 1x 150 mm wafer
  • chips
  • 10x 100 mm wafer
  • 10x 150 mm wafer
  • 1-5 100 mm wafers
  • 1-5 150 mm wafers
  • Several smaller samples
Allowed materials
  • almost any
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide, silicon nitride
  • Quartz/fused silica
  • Al, Al2O3
  • Ti, TiO2
  • Other metals (use dedicated carrier wafer)
  • III-V materials (use dedicated carrier wafer)
  • Polymers (depending on the melting point/deposition temperature, use carrier wafer)