Impact of Relative Humidity during Spin-Deposition of Metal Oxide Thin Films from Aqueous Solution Precursors

Plassmeyer, Paul N.; Mitchson, Gavin; Woods, Keenan N.; Johnson, David C.; Page, Catherine J.

doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b05200

Title: Impact of Relative Humidity during Spin-Deposition of Metal Oxide Thin Films from Aqueous Solution Precursors

Journal Article · 21 March 2017 · Chemistry of Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b05200 · OSTI ID:1418545

Plassmeyer, Paul N. ^[1];

^[2]; Woods, Keenan N. ^[2];

^[2];

^[2]

Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States). Material Science Inst.; DOE OSTI
Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States). Material Science Inst.

Relative humidity during the spin-processing of thin film solution precursors is often not controlled or measured, and its effect on film thickness is generally unappreciated. Herein, we report that the relative humidity during spin-processing has a marked impact on the film thickness of amorphous metal oxide (aluminum oxide and lanthanum zirconium oxide) and hafnium oxide-sulfate (HafSOx) thin films deposited from aqueous precursors. In the humidity range studied [20–95% relative humidity (RH)], film thicknesses varied by a factor of nearly 3, and this effect is independent of the metal precursor identity. Our data suggest that film thickness depends linearly on evaporation rate (100 – RH) for all systems studied, suggesting this effect is predominantly due to the unique characteristics of water as a solvent. In situ X-ray reflectivity studies of HafSOx films deposited under different humidities reveal that, while the thickness varies significantly with humidity, the density of the as-deposited films is similar, suggesting that humidity primarily affects the relative amount of material deposited. Because reproducible film thickness is critical for many applications, our data highlight the importance of controlling humidity during spin-processing.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); Air Force Research Laboratory; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1418545

Journal Information:: Chemistry of Materials, Journal Name: Chemistry of Materials Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 29; ISSN 0897-4756

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
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Title: Impact of Relative Humidity during Spin-Deposition of Metal Oxide Thin Films from Aqueous Solution Precursors

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