Advanced ALE processes of amorphous and polycrystalline films

Due to its distinctive self-limiting growth process, Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) technique exhibits a unique combination of advantageous features. In this paper, the benefits and potentials of ALE in growth of amorphous and polycrystalline films will be discussed using some selected processes as examples. These processes include low temperature deposition of high quality nanolaminate dielectrics, controlled deposition of optical multilayers, growth of low resistivity transition metal nitrides using elemental zinc as a reducing agent, and preparation of ZnS1−xSex solid solutions via surface anion substitution reactions. The major drawback of ALE, its slowness, and the possibility of overcoming this problem via large-batch processing will also be discussed.