Experimental and simulation approach for process optimization of atomic layer deposited thin films in high aspect ratio 3D structures

The authors present a new method to determine film thicknesses and sticking coefficients (SC) of precursor molecules for atomic layer deposition (ALD) in high aspect ratio three dimensional (3D) geometries as they appear in microelectromechanical system manufacturing. The method combines a specifically designed experimental test structure with the theoretical predictions from a novel 3D Monte Carlo process simulation for large structures. The authors exemplify our method using Al2O3 and SiO2 ALD processes. SCs for trimethylaluminium and bis-diethyl aminosilane (BDEAS) are extracted. The SC for BDEAS is determined for the first time. (C) 2016 American Vacuum Society.