Atomic layer deposition of conformal inorganic nanoscale coatings on three-dimensional natural fiber systems: effect of surface topology on film growth characteristics.

Atomic-scale material deposition is utilized to achieve uniform coverage and modification of the surface properties of natural fiber and woven fabric materials, where irregular nanoscale features are embedded in a macroscale interpenetrating fiber network. The complex surface topology of the woven fabric results in significantly different film-growth thickness per ALD cycle as compared to planar surfaces coated using the same process conditions, likely due to reactant adsorption within the fiber starting material, as well as impeded reactant transport out of the fabric system during the purge cycle. Cotton textiles modified with conformal nanoscale Al2O3 are found to show extreme hydrophobic effects, distinctly different from planar surfaces that receive the same coatings. The results highlight key concerns for achieving controlled conformal coatings on complex surfaces and open the possibility for new textile finishing approaches to create novel fabric-based materials with specialized function and performance.

In situ auger electron spectroscopy study of atomic layer deposition: growth initiation and interface formation reactions during ruthenium ALD on Si-H, SiO2, and HfO2 surfaces.

Growth initiation and film nucleation in atomic layer deposition (ALD) is important for controlling interface composition and achieving atomic-scale films with well-defined composition. Ruthenium ALD is studied here using ruthenocene and oxygen as reactants, and growth initiation and nucleation are characterized on several different growth surfaces, including SiO2, HfO2, and hydrogen terminated silicon, using on-line Auger electron spectroscopy and ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The time needed to reach the full growth rate (typically approximately 1 A per deposition cycle) is found to increase as the surface energy of the starting surface (determined from contact angle measurements) decreased. Growth starts more readily on HfO2 than on SiO2 or Si-H surfaces, and Auger analysis indicates distinct differences in surface reactions on the various surfaces during film nucleation. Specifically, surface oxygen is consumed during ruthenocene exposure, so the nucleation rate will depend on the availability of oxygen and the energetics of surface oxygen bonding on the starting substrate surface.