The influence of substrate on the adhesion behaviors of atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide films

► It is the first report about the adhesion behaviors of ALD Al2O3 on different substrates. ► The calculated adhesion energy for Al2O3/SiO2 is fivefold higher than that concerning Al2O3/Si and two order of magnitude higher than that of Al2O3/PI. ► The difference between the adhesion energy is related to the different growth mechanisms of Al2O3 on different substrates. There forms a chemical bonding (Si-O-Al) at the interface for Al2O3/SiO2, while the physical bonding for Al2O3/PI and the mixture of chemical and physical bondings for Al2O3/Si.