Novel “In-situ2 ” Approach to Modified ALD Processes for Nano-functional Metal- oxide Films

We describe our novel approach to the utilization of modified ALD routes for enhancing the functionality of metal-oxide thin films. The basic characteristic of our approach is the determination of the appropriate ALD parameters during the oxide growth. For monitoring the effects of the ALD parameters on the chemical-physical properties of the thin film, we implemented UHV-compatible ALD reactors for in-situ investigations using Synchrotron Radiation-XPS experiments. We show some example of how the in-situ optimization of ALD could be used to enhance the functionality of metal-oxide films, taking advantage of the extreme surface sensitivity of the experimental techniques used