| AVS 54th International Symposium | |
| Thin Film | Monday Sessions |
| Session TF-MoM |
| Session: | Atomic Layer Deposition and Applications |
| Presenter: | P.J. Evans, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation |
| Authors: | P.J. Evans, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation G. Traini, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation J. Murison, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation M.J.Y. Tayebjee, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation N. Loh, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation D.-H. Yu, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation A.P.J. Stampfl, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation T.-W. Pi, National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Taiwan |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Zirconium and some of its alloys, oxides and nitrides are known for their anti-corrosive and excellent wear resistant character. For this reason the nuclear industry uses Zr-based materials due to their low neutron absorption character, mechanical strength, toughness and ability to withstand harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures and intense radiation. ZrO2 has also been singled-out as a candidate material for inert matrix fuels to be used in Generation IV nuclear reactors. The formation of ZrO2 under different growth conditions leads to variations in electronic properties and crystal structure. Control of growth will enable tuning the electronic and structural properties of this material for specific applications. The current preliminary study investigates the effect of deposition conditions on the electronic and crystal structure of ALD grown ZrO2 films on silicon, using synchrotron-based high resolution photoemission, TEM, SIMS and glancing angle x-ray diffraction. The precursors used in the deposition were ZrCl4 and H2O using two growth temperatures of 200°C and 300°C. In addition, ZrO2 films were subjected to rapid thermal annealing at 600°C to investigate their valence electronic structure on crystallization.