Selective Deposition of Metal Oxide Thin Films on Silicon Using Self-Assembled Monolayer Resists

Abstract

Self-assembly refers to the organization of similar components in an ordered fashion, without manual manipulation. Octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) (CH3(CH2)17SiCl3) is a type of self-assembling molecule that when adsorbed onto a surface, assembles itself into a close-packed monolayer. The formation of the OTS monolayer on a silicon oxide surface causes a change in the hydrophobicity of the surface and is typically measured using water contact angle measurements. The presence of these molecules can also be monitored using FTIR spectroscopy due to the abundance of C-H bonds. A calibration standard has been found to relate the two measurement techniques as they pertain to this application. The ability of OTS to alter surface chemistry has also allowed us to use it as a resist for the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of metal-oxide thin films. We also investigate the formation of metal-oxide nanostructures using supercritical carbon dioxide assisted deposition (sc CO2) in nanotemplates and how the application of self-assembled monolayer resists can aid in nanostructure production.