Area-selective atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 using inkjet-printed inhibition patterns and lift-off process

Area-selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD) has been studied as an alternative method for metal oxide ALD film patterning in the microelectronics industry. To perform AS-ALD, area-deactivation or -activation processes should be implemented in advance using selective surface modification through a photography-based lift-off process and printing techniques. This study introduces a novel approach for Al2O3 AS-ALD using inkjet-printed inhibition patterns. ALD-inhibition patterns with two-layer structures of fluorocarbon (FC) thin film and photoresist (PR) were patterned by inkjet printing. Low surface energy FC thin films were used to block the Al2O3 nucleation and growth during the ALD process, and PR was patterned to easily remove ALD-inhibition patterns using a lift-off process. To demonstrate AS-ALD, an Al2O3 thin film approximately 10 nm thick was deposited via an in-house built system with a multiple-slit gas source. The proposed AS-ALD method was evaluated for topological analysis using atomic force microscopy and surface composition analysis using a time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry after Al2O3 deposition and a lift-off process. Finally, a 6 nm thick Al2O3 film was selectively patterned by the lift-off process using an inkjet-printed 1.28 μm thick FC-covered PR inhibition pattern.