Atomic Layer Deposition of Cerium Dioxide Film on TiN and Si Substrates: Structural and Chemical Properties

Cerium dioxide (CeO 2 ) thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on both Si and TiN substrates. The ALD growth produces CeO 2 cubic polycrystalline films on both substrates. However, the films show a preferential orientation along <200> crystallographic direction for CeO 2 /Si or <111< for CeO 2 /TiN. In correspondence, we measure a relative concentration of Ce 3+ equals to 22.0% in CeO 2 /Si and around 18% in CeO 2 /TiN, by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Such values indicate the presence of oxygen vacancies in the films. Our results underline the films differences and similarities between ALD-deposited CeO 2 either on Si or TiN substrates, thus extending the knowledge on the CeO 2 structural and chemical properties.