Atomic Layer Deposition of Ultrathin La2O3/Al2O3 Nanolaminates on MoS2 with Ultraviolet Ozone Treatment

Materials (Basel). 2022 Feb 27;15(5):1794. doi: 10.3390/ma15051794.

Abstract

Due to the chemically inert surface of MoS2, uniform deposition of ultrathin high-κ dielectric using atomic layer deposition (ALD) is difficult. However, this is crucial for the fabrication of field-effect transistors (FETs). In this work, the atomic layer deposition growth of sub-5 nm La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates on MoS2 using different oxidants (H2O and O3) was investigated. To improve the deposition, the effects of ultraviolet ozone treatment on MoS2 surface are also evaluated. It is found that the physical properties and electrical characteristics of La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates change greatly for different oxidants and treatment processes. These changes are found to be associated with the residual of metal carbide caused by the insufficient interface reactions. Ultraviolet ozone pretreatment can substantially improve the initial growth of sub-5 nm H2O-based or O3-based La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates, resulting in a reduction of residual metal carbide. All results indicate that O3-based La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates on MoS2 with ultraviolet ozone treatment yielded good electrical performance with low leakage current and no leakage dot, revealing a straightforward approach for realizing sub-5 nm uniform La2O3/Al2O3 nanolaminates on MoS2.

Keywords: La2O3/Al2O3; MoS2; atomic layer deposition; ultraviolet ozone.