Mechanistic Details of Surface Reactions in Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Processes

1 Results The reaction mechanisms of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes used for thin-film growth have been characterized by a combination of surface sensitive techniques. Our early studies focused on the deposition of TiN films from TiCl4 and ammonia,starting with the independent characterization of each of the two half steps comprising the ALD process. It was found that exposure of the substrate to TiCl4 leads to the initial deposition of titanium in the +3 oxidation state; only at a later st...