Growth of amorphous zinc tin oxide films using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition from bis(1-dimethylamino-2-methyl-2propoxy)tin, diethylzinc, and oxygen plasma

Amorphous ZnSnO _x (ZTO) films were prepared using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) in a temperature range of 100-200 °C. Metal-organic precursors of Sn(dmamp) ₂ (dmamp = bis(1-dimethylamino-2-methyl-2-propoxide) and diethylzinc were employed as sources of Sn and Zn, respectively, in combination with O ₂ plasma as a reactant. Sn levels in the ZTO films were controlled by varying the SnO ₂ /ZnO cycle ratio from 0 to 8. According to the growth behaviour of the ZTO film by alternating SnO ₂ and ZnO PEALD cycles, it was observed that ZnO growth on Sn-rich ZTO film is retarded, whereas SnO ₂ growth is enhanced on Zn-rich ZTO film. The chemical states of the ZTO films were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); the chemical compositions of the ZTO films were characterised by XPS depth profiling. Grazing-angle X-ray diffraction revealed that the PEALD ZTO films possess an amorphous structure, irrespective of Sn levels from 20 to 59 at.%. ZTO films with intermediate Sn at.% exhibited smooth surface morphology compared to binary ZnO and SnO ₂ films. Additionally, the step coverage of a ZTO film deposited on hole pattern with an aspect ratio of 8 and opening diameter of 110 nm was about 93%, suggesting the realisation of self-limited growth.