Properties and Mechanism of PEALD-In(2)O(3) Thin Films Prepared by Different Precursor Reaction Energy

Indium oxide (In(2)O(3)) film has excellent optical and electrical properties, which makes it useful for a multitude of applications. The preparation of In(2)O(3) film via atomic layer deposition (ALD) method remains an issue as most of the available In-precursors are inactive and thermally unstable. In this work, In(2)O(3) film was prepared by ALD using a remote O(2) plasma as oxidant, which provides highly reactive oxygen radicals, and hence significantly enhancing the film growth. The substrate temperature that determines the adsorption state on the substrate and reaction energy of the precursor was investigated. At low substrate temperature (100–150 °C), the ratio of chemically adsorbed precursors is low, leading to a low growth rate and amorphous structure of the films. An amorphous-to-crystalline transition was observed at 150–200 °C. An ALD window with self-limiting reaction and a reasonable film growth rate was observed in the intermediate temperature range of 225–275 °C. At high substrate temperature (300–350 °C), the film growth rate further increases due to the decomposition of the precursors. The resulting film exhibits a rough surface which consists of coarse grains and obvious grain boundaries. The growth mode and properties of the In(2)O(3) films prepared by plasma-enhanced ALD can be efficiently tuned by varying the substrate temperature.