Remote plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of ZnO for thin film electronic applications

This paper describes a systematic approach to analyze the simultaneous impact of various reactant plasma parameters of remote plasma enhanced ALD (PEALD) on the ZnO thin film properties. Particular emphasis is placed on the film stoichiometry which affects the electrical properties of the thin film. Design of Experiment (DOE) is used to study the impact of the oxygen plasma parameters such as the RF power, pressure and plasma time to realize semiconductor quality of ZnO thin film. Based on the optimized plasma condition, staggered bottom-gate TFTs were fabricated and its electrical characteristics were measured.

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► O2 plasma used as reactant in remote plasma enhanced ALD.
► High plasma time and low pressure increases the film Carbon content.
► Due to carbon impurity scattering, film mobility degrades.
► From the optimized process condition, TFT was fabricated.
► TFT results show well-behaved transistor performance.