Deposition, Patterning, Properties and Applications of Al2O3 Films

Alumina is an interesting material for different applications in microelectronics and sensor design. Remarkable properties are the excellent efficiency as a barrier against diffusion of alkali ions and water molecules, the chemical resistivity, and the high dielectric constant. Al2O3 films were deposited by NPCVD and by LPCVD using hydrolysis of AlCl3. Wet and gas phase etching was applied for patterning the Al2O3 films. The stacked high capacitance dRAM cell as well as the ion sensitive PET (ISFET) are discussed as two special applications.