Research Trends of Atomic Layer Deposition of Metal Nitrides and Their Applications in Semiconductor Industry

Abstract

With the recent advances in nanotechnology and the semiconductor industry, the study of nitride thin films has become increasingly important in the fields of electronic devices, optical devices, and nanomaterials research. Various methods have been used to synthesize nitride thin films, among which ALD stands out as a deposition technique capable of yielding high-quality thin films at lower temperatures via sequential self-limiting surface treatments. As the need for high-quality thin film deposition at the nanoscale and highly conformal thin films has emerged, the deposition of metal nitride thin films by ALD has been actively researched, encompassing hafnium nitride, aluminum nitride, titanium nitride, zirconium nitride, and silicon nitride. In this review, we will discuss the current landscape of research pertaining to metal nitride thin films prepared by ALD.