Low-pressure MOCVD of Al2O3 films using aluminium acetylacetonate as precursor: nucleation and growth

Singh, MP and Shivashankar, SA (2002) Low-pressure MOCVD of Al2O3 films using aluminium acetylacetonate as precursor: nucleation and growth. In: Surface and Coatings Technology, 161 (2-3). pp. 135-143.

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Abstract

A study of the deposition of aluminium oxide films by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapour deposition from the complex aluminium acetylacetonate, in the absence of an oxidant gas, has been carried out. Depositions on to Si(100), stainless steel, and TiN-coated cemented carbide are found to be smooth, shiny, and blackish. SIMS, XPS and TEM analyses reveal that films deposited at temperatures as low as 600 degreesC contain small crystallites Of kappa-Al2O3, embedded in an amorphous matrix rich in graphitic carbon. Optical and scanning electron microscopy reveal a surface morphology made up of spherulites that suggests that film growth might involve a melting process. A nucleation and growth mechanism, involving the congruent melting clusters of precursor molecules on the hot substrate surface, is therefore invoked to explain these observations. An effort has been made experimentally to verify this proposed mechanism. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Surface and Coatings Technology
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Elsevier Science.
Keywords:	CVD;Aluminium oxide;Thin film;Nucleation;Growth
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Materials Research Centre
Date Deposited:	20 Jul 2011 04:55
Last Modified:	20 Jul 2011 04:55
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/39264

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