Hafnium oxide (HfO₂) thin film has remarkable physical and chemical properties, which makes it useful for a variety of applications. In this work, HfO₂ films were prepared on silicon through plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) at various substrate temperatures. The growth per cycle, structural, morphology and crystalline properties of HfO₂ films were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometer, grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The substrate temperature dependent electrical properties of PEALD–HfO₂ films were obtained by capacitance–voltage and current–voltage measurements. GIXRD patterns and XRR investigations show that increasing the substrate temperature improved the crystallinity and density of HfO₂ films. The crystallinity of HfO₂ films has a major effect on electrical properties of the films. HfO₂ thin film deposited at 300 °C possesses the highest dielectric constant and breakdown electric field.

In recent years, the application of (In, Al, Ga)N materials in photovoltaic devices has attracted much attention. Like InGaN, it is a direct band gap material with high absorption at the band edge, suitable for high efficiency photovoltaic devices. Nonetheless, it is important to deposit high-quality GaN material as a foundation. Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) combines the advantages of the ALD process with the use of plasma and is often used to deposit thin films with different needs. However, residual oxygen during growth has always been an unavoidable issue affecting the quality of the resulting film, especially in growing gallium nitride (GaN) films. In this study, the NH₃-containing plasma was used to capture the oxygen absorbed on the growing surface to improve the quality of GaN films. By diagnosing the plasma, NH₂, NH, and H radicals controlled by the plasma power has a strong influence not only on the oxygen content in growing GaN films but also on the growth rate, crystallinity, and surface roughness. The NH and NH₂ radicals contribute to the growth of GaN films while the H radicals selectively dissociate Ga-OH bonds on the film surface and etch the grown films. At high plasma power, the GaN film with the lowest Ga-O bond ratio has a saturated growth rate, a better crystallinity, a rougher surface, and a lower bandgap. In addition, the deposition mechanism of GaN thin films prepared with a trimethylgallium metal source and NH₃/Ar plasma PEALD involving oxygen participation or not is also discussed in the study.

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide bandgap semiconductor with remarkable chemical and thermal stability, making it a competitive candidate for a variety of optoelectronic applications. In this study, GaN films are grown using a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) with trimethylgallium (TMG) and NH₃ plasma. The effect of substrate temperature on growth mechanism and properties of the PEALD GaN films is systematically studied. The experimental results show that the self-limiting surface chemical reactions occur in the substrate temperature range of 250–350 °C. The substrate temperature strongly affects the crystalline structure, which is nearly amorphous at below 250 °C, with (100) as the major phase at below 400 °C, and (002) dominated at higher temperatures. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra reveals the unintentional oxygen incorporation into the films in the forms of Ga₂O₃ and Ga-OH. The amount of Ga-O component decreases, whereas the Ga-Ga component rapidly increases at 400 and 450 °C, due to the decomposition of TMG. The substrate temperature of 350 °C with the highest amount of Ga-N bonds is, therefore, considered the optimum substrate temperature. This study is helpful for improving the quality of PEALD GaN films.

It is usually difficult to realize high mobility together with a low threshold voltage and good stability for amorphous oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). In addition, a low fabrication temperature is preferred in terms of enhancing compatibility with the back end of line of the device. In this study, α-IGZO TFTs were prepared by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) at room temperature. The channel was prepared under a two-step deposition pressure process to modulate its electrical properties. X-ray photoelectron spectra revealed that the front-channel has a lower Ga content and a higher oxygen vacancy concentration than the back-channel. This process has the advantage of balancing high mobility and a low threshold voltage of the TFT when compared with a conventional homogeneous channel. It also has a simpler fabrication process than that of a dual active layer comprising heterogeneous materials. The HiPIMS process has the advantage of being a low temperature process for oxide TFTs.

The promising functional tin oxide (SnO_x) has attracted tremendous attention due to its transparent and conductive properties. The stoichiometric composition of SnO_x can be described as common n-type SnO₂ and p-type Sn₃O₄. In this study, the functional SnO_x films were prepared successfully by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) at different substrate temperatures from 100 to 400 °C. The experimental results involving optical, structural, chemical, and electrical properties and morphologies are discussed. The SnO₂ and oxygen-deficient Sn₃O₄ phases coexisting in PEALD SnO_x films were found. The PEALD SnO_x films are composed of intrinsic oxygen vacancies with O-Sn⁴⁺ bonds and then transformed into a crystalline SnO₂ phase with increased substrate temperature, revealing a direct 3.5–4.0 eV band gap and 1.9–2.1 refractive index. Lower (300 °C) substrate temperatures can cause precursor condensation and desorption, respectively, resulting in reduced film qualities. The proper composition ratio of O to Sn in PEALD SnO_x films near an estimated 1.74 suggests the highest mobility of 12.89 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 300 °C.