Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of AZO

From LabAdviser

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AZO can be deposited by sputtering or atomic layer deposition (ALD). In sputter-deposition of AZO, we use an AZO target that may be RF-sputtered or reactively DC-sputtered. You can also co-deposit Al and ZnO. Note that in multipurpose sputter systems such as ours it may be difficult to obtain low enough contamination for high-quality AZO. Talk to Nanolab staff or your colleagues if you would like to locate a sputter system that can be dedicated to AZO-deposition.

In the chart below you can compare the different deposition equipment available here at Nanolab:


Sputter deposition Sputter-system Metal-Oxide(PC1) Sputter deposition (Sputter-System(Lesker)) Atomic layer deposition (ALD Picosun R200)
General description
  • Reactive DC sputtering
  • pulsed DC sputtering
  • RF sputtering
  • Reactive HiPIMS (high-power impulse magnetron sputtering)
  • Reactive DC sputtering
  • RF sputtering
  • Atomic layer deposition of AZO
Pre-clean RF Ar clean RF Ar clean
Layer thickness few nm to ? hundreds of nm* 10Å to 5000Å* 0 to 1000 Å
Deposition rate Depending on process parameters. Depending on process parameters, e.g., 0.3 Å/s reactive DC-sputtering (see process log for details) Depending on temperature
Batch size
  • Many smaller samples
  • Up to 10x4" or 6" wafers (Cassette load in the LL)
  • Pieces or
  • 1x4" wafer or
  • 1x6" wafer
  • Pieces or
  • 1x4" wafer or
  • 1x6" wafer or
  • 1x8" wafer
Allowed materials
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon nitride
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • Carbon
  • 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)


Comment
  • Uses 3" target
  • Substrate rotation
  • Substrate RF bias option
  • Uses 2" target
  • Substrate rotation
  • Substrate RF Bias (optional)

* For thicknesses above 200 nm permission is required. Write to thinfilm@nanolab.dtu.dk.