Substrate Oxidation in Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD): Role of Temperature and Precursor Selection
Younce, Nathan
Younce, Nathan
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Abstract
We study how ALD chemistry and chamber temperature tune metal/dielectric superlattices targeting epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) photonics. Stacks alternate ~10 nm metal (Ag, Al, or 90/10 Ag/Al) with ~1 nm Al?O? from TMA using oxidizers t-BuOH, H?O, or O?. To isolate chemistry on the metals, we pulsed oxidizer only (no TMA) at conditions typical of growth (~100 �C for H?O/O?, ~280 �C for t-BuOH). Thickness and complex index (n, k) were obtained by spectroscopic ellipsometry on Si, transmission on glass, and morphology by SEM. Oxidizer choice impacts the optical response, with �harder� oxidizers degrading metallic behavior most (O? > H?O > t-BuOH). Despite its higher temperature, the �soft� t-BuOH preserves the most favorable n, k for ENZ stacking. Elevated temperature (within ALD processes) drives Ag islanding/agglomeration that scales with temperature and time. Al is stable but less favorable optically. Ag/Al alloys behave optically proportional to Ag fraction. These results define a favorable processing window for TMA + T-BuOH ALD chemistry to produce ENZ-oriented superlattice metamaterials.
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Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Senior (Graduating in 2026)
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Poster
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Physics
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College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
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Physical Science