Theoretical Simulation of Surface Evolution Using the Random Deposition and Surface Relaxation for Metal Oxide Film in Atomic Layer Deposition

Abstract

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has become an essential deposition method for forming nanometer scale thin films in the microelectronics industry, and its applications have been extended to multi-component thin films, as well as to single metal oxide films. In order to investigate the development of the surface structure of ultra-thin film qualitatively as well as quantitatively, ALD processes are simulated with a molecular scale. For this simulation, the film materials are deposited on a imaginary substrate that consists of small lattice. The deposition behaviors are described by using random deposition (RD) model or random deposition with surface relaxation (RDSR) model as the ALD growth mode, and the proposed model was applied to the deposition of SrO-TiO(2) thin films. Through this work, growth characteristics such as surface morphology, deposited film coverage can be predicted.