Atomic layer deposition of metallic tri-layer for alloy formation

Abstract

Research has brought about great interest in the field of thin films and its applications. With the need for increasingly smaller devices, there is an increasing demand for synthesis methods to control and precisely fabricate components and materials. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has become a topic of interest owing to its high compositional control, down to the atomic level. The technique allows for high quality production of films with good uniformity, and linearity of thickness control based on the number of deposition cycles. In this paper, we studied the deposition of metallic tri-layer consisting of Platinum (Pt), Iridium (Ir), and Palladium (Pd), which was synthesized using ALD. The metal layers were deposited on Sapphire (Al2O3) with ozone as a reactive agent. The process was shown to be promising in producing thin films with precise composition, thickness control, and uniformity, which was proven with characterization techniques such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). After achieving a successful tri-metallic layer deposition, the substrate and deposited layers are put through the alloying process of carbothermal shock (CTS). This work provides novel insights to the synthesis of tri-metallic alloys through the combination of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and Carbothermal shock (CTS) alloying, opening possibilities for the furthered research of high entropy alloys synthesis methods.