High Rate Nanolaminate Manufacturing 

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) imparts digital control over film thickness, high quality and excellent conformality. Its primary drawback is the low deposition rate, which precludes its use for a number of applications. The Wolden group has pioneered the use of pulsed plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) as an alternative approach for self-limiting growth, i.e. 1 Å/pulse. growth behavior. With appropriate reactor design and operation deposition rates >30 nm/min have been obtained, which will allow us to extend the atomic scale control of ALD to mesocale structure ( 50 - 1000 nm). Having established the process for a number of individual oxides (Ta₂O₅, Al₂O₃, ZnO, TiO₂), the goal of this project are to demonstrate the technique's utility for high rate nanolaminate manufacturing. Diverse applications for these materials including high k dielectrics, precision optical components, and protective  barrier coatings. The image on this page is a TEM image of a preliminary 8 layer nanolaminate consisting of alternating 100 nm layers of alumina (white) and titania (grey). In addition to inorganic structures, we also plan to extend  pulsed PECVD to self-limiting growth of polymers in order to create organic/inorganic hybrid structures that may be applied to flexible substrates. PhD candidate Pieter Rowlette is leading our efforts for the synthesis of  exploring mixed metal oxide nanolaminates, and we are looking for a new graduate student to lead the organic synthesis effort.  

Support for this project is being provided by the National Science Foundation's Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) through award #0826323.