Atomic layer deposition of zirconium oxide thin films

In this work, we studied an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process of ZrO 2 with the precursors of tetrakis(dimethylamido)zirconium(IV) and water. We investigated the growth characteristics and mechanism of the ALD ZrO 2 in the temperature range of 50–275 °C. Furthermore, the evolutions of film thickness and morphology were studied and discussed. It was found that the growth rate of ZrO 2 decreased almost linearly with the increasing temperature from ∼1.81 A/cycle at 50 °C to ∼0.8 A/cycle at 225 °C. Interestingly, it was revealed that the growth of ZrO 2 films ceased after a certain number of ALD cycles at a temperature higher than 250 °C. We also verified that the crystallinity of ZrO 2 evolved with deposition temperature from amorphous to crystalline phase. In addition, the wettability of ZrO 2 films was studied, showing a hydrophobic nature.