Nucleation and growth of ZnO on PMMA by low-temperature atomic layer deposition

Abstract

ZnO films were grown by atomic layer deposition at 35 °C on poly(methyl methacrylate) substrates using diethylzinc and water precursors. The film growth, morphology, and crystallinity were studied using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The uniform film growth was reached after several hundreds of deposition cycles, preceded by the precursor penetration into the porous bulk and island-type growth. After the full surface coverage, the ZnO films were stoichiometric, and consisted of large grains (diameter 30 nm) with a film surface roughness up to 6 nm (RMS). The introduction of Al 2O3 seed layer enhanced the initial ZnO growth substantially and changed the surface morphology as well as the crystallinity of the deposited ZnO films. Furthermore, the water contact angles of the ZnO films were measured, and upon ultraviolet illumination, the ZnO films on all the substrates became hydrophilic, independent of the film crystallinity.