Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of TiO2 thin films on a Si substrate has been investigated using titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) and tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium (TDMAT) in combination with water. The deposition rate and the chemical stability of the films are significantly different depending on the Ti precursor and process temperature (T-ALD). When the films are annealed a significant thickness shrinkage is reported for the first time on TiO2. A comprehensive analysis of the films with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, ellipsometry, and porosimetry demonstrates that some precursor ligands are incorporated (most likely as isopropanol) when ALD is performed at low temperature (i.e., T-ALD < 200 degrees C) using TTIP. The trapped ligand molecules can be removed by annealing but make the film porous and thus have a detrimental effect on the dielectric properties. Higher-quality nonporous films are grown by using TTIP at T-ALD >= 200 degrees C or by using TDMAT. It is shown that measuring the refractive index is a simple, nondestructive, and reliable way to determine film quality. Numerical simulations of ligand coverage show that the measured growth rates are consistent with a self-limiting ALD mechanism albeit with partial incorporation of ligands from TTIP at low temperature (T-ALD < 200 degrees C), which renders part of the surface inactive toward growth. Aside from this, the higher growth rate of TDMAT is due to more desorption of ligands during the Ti precursor pulse. The overall decrease in the growth rate with temperature is related quantitatively to decreasing coverage of hydroxyl groups on TiO2. Comparing the TTIP and TDMAT processes in this way reveals new aspects of the gas-surface chemistry during self-limiting ALD and how this affects film morphology and electrical properties.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been traditionally regarded as an extremely powerful but slow thin-film deposition technique. The (perceived) limitation in terms of deposition rate has resulted in a slow penetration of the technology into mass manufacturing beyond established applications in the semiconductor industry until recently. At present, several developments have resulted in a significant increase in the use of ALD in a number of mass manufacturing applications. On the one hand, there is an increasing demand from the device makers side to incorporate nanotechnology in their products that relies on the unique advantages of ALD. On the other hand, a number of technical improvements have been implemented in the ALD method allowing it to be much faster. In this article, we provide an overview of different high-throughput (HT) ALD approaches, putting them in perspective with other common HT deposition techniques already used in the industry. As an example, the use of HT ALD for the encapsulation of organic light-emitting diode is discussed.

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is the leading next generation lithography (NGL) technology to succeed optical lithography at the 22 nm node and beyond. EUVL requires a low defect density reflective mask blank, which is considered to be the most critical technology gap for commercialization of the technology. At the SEMATECH Mask Blank Development Center (MBDC), research on defect reduction of EUV mask blanks is being pursued using the Veeco Nexus deposition tool. Its defect performance is one of the factors limiting the availability of defect-free EUVL mask blanks. SEMATECH has identified better understanding of the physics of the deposition process as one of the keys to improving the defect performance of Nexus tools. SEMATECH is therefore undertaking an effort to model the physics of the tool backed with an experimental program to characterize the process. The goal is to be able to predict defect performance and defect improvement to direct new tool design. In this paper, we present the results of simulating the deposition rate and uniformity of deposited multilayers and growth of the multilayer on a given defect profile.

Fundamental aspects of the deployment of ALD deposited barriers in high volume manufacturing are reviewed. Based on an analysis of the limiting factors of in conventional cross-flow reactors, a parallel precursor wave technology system has been developed.

In the frame of the technology development to be used for the Optical Payload of next future X-ray missions (such as e.g. New Hard X-ray Mission-ASI), a new set of manufacturing techniques were finalized by Media Lario Technologies (MLT), in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Brera Astronomical Observatory (INAF/OAB). The set of new technologies includes master manufacturing machines and processes, electroforming method, a vertical optical bench and metrology machines to support manufacturing and integration of mirrors. A magnetron sputtering PVD machine was upgraded and a Pt/C development study has been performed on the basis of the W/Si results obtained in the first phase of the study. New manufacturing technologies for highly accurate masters were developed and tested by mean of two full-size masters together with several dummies. A number of ultrathin Nickel-Cobalt focusing mirrors were manufactured via galvanic replication process from the masters and coated with Pt/C multilayer. Tests on substrate material, roughness and shape of the shell together with analysis on specimens were performed. Tests with AFM and XRR supported the development of the Pt/C multilayer which is the enabling technology for focusing high energy X-Rays. Several mirror shells were integrated into two demonstrator modules to assess the whole manufacturing process up to optical payload integration. The summary of the results from manufacturing and testing of specimens and mirror shells is reported in this paper together with a description of the technologies now available at MLT.

Focusing mirrors manufactured via galvanic replication process from negative shape mandrels is the candidate solution for some of next future X-ray missions. Media Lario Technologies (MLT) is the industrial enabler developing, in collaboration with Brera Astronomical Observatory (INAF/OAB) and Italian Space Agency, the Optical Payload for the New Hard X-ray Mission (NHXM) Italian project. The current and ongoing development activities in Media Lario Technologies complement the electroforming technology with a suite of critical manufacturing and assembly of the Mirror Module Unit. In this paper, the progress on mandrels manufacturing, mirror shell replication, multilayer coating deposition and mirror module integration, leading to the manufacturing and testing of some astronomical Hard X-ray Engineering Models, is reported. Mandrel production is a key point in terms of performances and schedule; the results from mandrels fabricated using a proprietary multistep surface finishing process are reported. The progress in the replication of ultrathin Nickel and Nickel-Cobalt substrates gold coated mirror shells is reported together with the results of MLT Magnetron Sputtering multilayer coating technology for the hard x-ray waveband and its application to Pt/C.

The power roadmap for EUVL high volume manufacturing (HVM) exceeds the 200W EUV in-band power at intermediate focus, thus posing more demanding requirements on HVM sources, debris suppression systems and collectors. Starting from the lessons learned in the design and fabrication of the grazing incidence collectors for the Alpha EUVL scanners, Media Lario Technologies is developing HVM optical solutions that enable designed-in lifetime improvements, such as larger source-collector distances, optimized collection efficiency through larger collected solid angles, and customized EUV reflective layers. The optical design of an HVM collector is described together with the selection of the sacrificial ruthenium reflective layer. The water cooling layout of the collector is evolved from the integrated cooling technology developed at Alpha level into an innovative cooling layout that minimizes the thermal gradients across the mirrors and allows controlling the optical performance at the far-field plane. Finally, the evolution of the collector's manufacturing technologies for HVM is discussed. XTREME technologies and Philips Extreme UV support this work by integrating the collector in the complete source collector module (SoCoMo). At system level, each component of the SoCoMo is part of a development and improvement plan leading to a comprehensive system that will fulfill the 200+ W EUV in-band power at intermediate focus.

Depth-graded multilayer structures are widely considered as the preferred technology for the next generation of hard Xray telescopes operating in the spectral range up to several tens of keV. This contrasts to earlier generation telescopes which operated in the 1-10 keV range, and utilized single material reflection layers (e.g. Au). Several future space missions are scheduled to include optics comprising up to hundreds of nested shells with Wolter-I profile. Therefore, the need for an industrial strength (in terms of robustness, reliability and precision) manufacturing process for such multilayers has emerged. In this paper, we will discuss the enabling technologies towards "industrial" Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) technology we have developed for this precision coating process. More specifically, we will review the results obtained on periodic and a-periodic W/Si multilayers, which have been produced on shells of 600 mm height and 300 mm diameter. Points that will be discussed include: · Advanced process control based on in-situ sensors and its effect on repeatability and stability of the process. · Ex-situ metrology methods · Thickness homogeneity over large areas

Catastrophic electrical breakdown of thin Al2O3 reader gap films is becoming increasingly important for Giant Magneto-Resistive (GMR) recording heads. In this paper, we study the dielectric integrity of thin Al2O3 films in the 10-100 nm thickness range produced by ion beam deposition. The effects of substrate preparation, film thickness and assist beam parameters on electric breakdown are investigated. It was found that optimized films produced using an Al2O3 target break down at electric field strengths in the 8.5-9 MV/cm range. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In this article, we study the interaction between two nanoscopic growth mechanisms during physical vapor deposition, namely, biased diffusion and atomic level shadowing by defects such as islands and ledges, by molecular dynamics simulations. The material system described here is homoepitaxy of Cu on Cu(111). We find that the phenomenon of biased diffusion has a strong effect on the details of the shadowing process at the atomic scale. In the particular case of deposition by high energy particles at off-normal angles, biased diffusion suppresses the shadowing effect that dominates at low energy and off-normal angles. This can be understood from an analysis of the potential energy landscape as seen by the arriving adatom.

In this work, we report a novel approach to facilitate the phase transformation, namely the introduction of ultrathin Ru and Cr nanolayers inside the PtMn layer. The concept is to bury one or more very thin (<1 monolayer) Ru or Cr layers in the PtMn at some distance from the interface. The effect of these insertion layers is to aid the FCC to FCT transformation by suppressing the constraining effect from the interface. Experimental results show an enhancement of the exchange bias field by adding these ultrathin insertion layers. The enhancement of the exchange bias field can be up to 10% compared to the structure without the insertion layer. From these results, it can be seen that significant exchange bias field enhancement can indeed be obtained with as little as 2 Å of Ru insertion at 10 Å from the interface. Similar results have been obtained with 1 Å Cr insertion at the same PtMn layer position. These results illustrate the potential of nano-lamination of antiferromagnets as an avenue toward creation of novel spin valve and spintronic materials.