Low-temperature, high-throughput spatial atomic layer deposition of NiOx nanocrystalline thin films from [Ni(ipki)2]

Spatial atomic layer deposition (SALD) is a recent ALD variant enabling much faster deposition rates, even at atmospheric pressure, making it ideal for scalable, low-cost devices. NiO x , a transparent p-type oxide, is widely used in emerging technologies like perovskite solar cells. However, no suitable SALD process for NiO thin films has been reported so far. In this work, we present the deposition of nanocrystalline NiO x thin films via SALD using a recent Ni precursor not yet explored for the ALD of NiO, namely, bis(4-(isopropylamino)pent-3en-2-onato)nickel(II) or [Ni( i pki) 2 ]. O 2 has been used as coreactant, with higher deposition rates being achieved if H 2 O is added to the O 2 flow. A narrow ALD window has been obtained between 230 °C and 250 °C, where a GPC of 0.023 nm is observed. This corresponds to a deposition rate of 1.4 nm/min, which is 2 to 10 times faster than the rates reported for conventional ALD of NiO thin films. Remarkably, the growth onset of NiO x starts around only 170 °C. The transmittance of the films reaches nearly 97 % in the visible for 55 nm thick films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies revealed a high homogeneity of the films. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies confirm the presence of a cubic NiO x crystalline phase. Finally, NiO x films have been deposited on Ag nanowire networks, demonstrating the possibility of depositing homogeneous and conformal coatings with this new process.

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Publication Details

Journal
Applied Surface Science Advances
Published
2025-09-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2025.100836
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Semiconductor materials and devices
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.46

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article

Low-temperature, high-throughput spatial atomic layer deposition of NiOx nanocrystalline thin films from [Ni(ipki)2]

Juan Rubio‐Zuazo, Samuel Porcar, Daniel Bellet, Hayri Okcu et al.
2 citations
Applied Surface Science Advances
Semiconductor materials and devices
1.46
article

Low-temperature, high-throughput spatial atomic layer deposition of NiOx nanocrystalline thin films from [Ni(ipki)2]

Juan Rubio‐Zuazo, Samuel Porcar, Daniel Bellet, Hayri Okcu, Jorit Obenlüneschloß, J. Carda, Camilo Sanchez-Velasquez, Itziar Galarreta‐Rodriguez, Thomas Fix, David Muñoz‐Rojas, Diego Fraga Chiva, Jaime González Cuadra, Marcel Schmickler, Abderrahim Lahlahi, Anjana Devi, Stefano d’Ercole, Laura Cervera- Gabalda
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Spatial atomic layer deposition (SALD) is a recent ALD variant enabling much faster deposition rates, even at atmospheric pressure, making it ideal for scalable, low-cost devices. NiO x , a transparent p-type oxide, is widely used in emerging technologies like perovskite solar cells. However, no suitable SALD process for NiO thin films has been reported so far. In this work, we present the deposition of nanocrystalline NiO x thin films via SALD using a recent Ni precursor not yet explored for the ALD of NiO, namely, bis(4-(isopropylamino)pent-3en-2-onato)nickel(II) or [Ni( i pki) 2 ]. O 2 has been used as coreactant, with higher deposition rates being achieved if H 2 O is added to the O 2 flow. A narrow ALD window has been obtained between 230 °C and 250 °C, where a GPC of 0.023 nm is observed. This corresponds to a deposition rate of 1.4 nm/min, which is 2 to 10 times faster than the rates reported for conventional ALD of NiO thin films. Remarkably, the growth onset of NiO x starts around only 170 °C. The transmittance of the films reaches nearly 97 % in the visible for 55 nm thick films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies revealed a high homogeneity of the films. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies confirm the presence of a cubic NiO x crystalline phase. Finally, NiO x films have been deposited on Ag nanowire networks, demonstrating the possibility of depositing homogeneous and conformal coatings with this new process.

Applied Surface Science AdvancesVol. 29
Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (FR), Universitat Jaume I (ES), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (FR), Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (DE), Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (DE), Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Ingénieur, de l'Informatique et de l'Imagerie (FR), Laboratoire des Matériaux et du Génie Physique (FR), Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ES), Université de Strasbourg (FR), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (FR), Technische Universität Dresden (DE), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR), Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Universitat Jaume I, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Semiconductor materials and devices
1.46
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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