SiO2 thin film growth through a pure atomic layer deposition technique at room temperature.

In this study, less contaminated and porous SiO2 films were grown via ALD at room temperature. In addition to the well-known catalytic effect of ammonia, the self-limitation of the reaction was demonstrated by tuning the exposure of SiCl4, NH3 and H2O. This pure ALD approach generated porous oxide layers with very low chloride contamination in films. This optimized RT-ALD process could be applied to a wide range of substrates that need to be 3D-coated, similar to mesoporous structured membranes.