Atomic layer deposition of SiO2–GeO2 multilayers

Abstract

Despite its potential for CMOS applications, atomic layer deposition (ALD) of GeO2 thin films, by itself or in combination with SiO2, has not been widely investigated yet. Here, we report the ALD growth of SiO2/GeO2 multilayers on si1icon substrates using a so far unexplored Ge precursor. The characterization of multilayers with various periodicities reveals layer-by-layer growth with electron density contrast and the absence of chemical intermixing, down to a periodicity of two atomic layers.