Characterization of ZnO/AlO x/benzene thin-film heterostructures grown through atomic layer deposition/molecular layer deposition

Fabian Krahl, Yanling Ge, Maarit Karppinen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Multilayer thin-film structures are promising for many future high-tech applications. We investigate the structure of polycrystalline ZnO thin films with sub-nanometer amorphous inorganic (AlO x ) and organic (benzene) layers grown by atomic/molecular layer deposition. Small quantities of aluminium are typically introduced in ZnO films for doping, while one of the intended functions of the organic layers is to block thermal conductivity. We apply the AlO x and benzene layers both simultaneously and separately, and investigate the resultant superlattice films with transmission electron microscopy, x-ray reflectivity and x-ray diffraction measurements. The study reveals that both AlO x and benzene form distinct layers in the ZnO matrix even down to one atomic/molecular layer. Furthermore, we demonstrate that despite the clear layering, the ZnO grains can penetrate through thin (below ca. 2 nm) benzene and AlO x layers.

Original languageEnglish
Article number025012
Number of pages7
JournalSemiconductor Science and Technology
Volume36
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Dec 2020
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • atomic layer deposition
  • inorganic-organic superlattice
  • molecular layer deposition
  • transmission electron microscopy
  • x-ray reflectivity
  • ZnO

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