Influences of different oxidants on characteristics of La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates deposited by atomic layer deposition

A comparative study of two kinds of oxidants（H2O and O3） with the combination of two metal precursors（TMA and La（～iPrCp）3） for atomic layer deposition（ALD） La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates is carried out. The effects of different oxidants on the physical properties and electrical characteristics of La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates are studied. Initial testing results indicate that La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates could avoid moisture absorption in the air after thermal annealing. However, moisture absorption occurs in H2O-based La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates due to the residue hydroxyl/hydrogen groups during annealing. As a result, roughness enhancement, band offset variation, low dielectric constant and poor electrical characteristics are measured because the properties of H2O-based La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates are deteriorated. Addition thermal annealing effects on the properties of O3-based La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates indicate that O3 is a more appropriate oxidant to deposit La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates for electron devices application.