W.M.M. (Erwin) Kessels, Eindhoven Univ. of Technology, The Netherlands
Processing at the atomic scale is becoming increasingly critical for many applications also well beyond electronic devices for computing and data storage. Yet, the semiconductor industry has been the main driving force behind the industrial implementation of the method of atomic layer deposition (ALD) in high-volume manufacturing in the last two decades. ALD allows for the preparation of high quality thin films on challenging surface topologies while precisely controlling nanometer dimensions. It has therefore been key for the materials- and 3D-enabled scaling which has been necessary to continue Moore’s law over the last decade.
In this presentation, the developments in the field of ALD will be briefly reviewed including a description of its key features and its hallmarks. A particular focus will be given to the technological opportunities provided by the method in terms of materials, processes and applications. An overview will be given of recent and emerging applications of ALD, for example, in energy technologies including solar cells and batteries, in large-area electronics including displays, and in optical and mechanical coating applications. Also the developments in ALD equipment will be presented with respect to ALD configurations (thermal and plasma-enhanced ALD) and with respect to high volume manufacturing including batch and spatial ALD and roll-to-roll ALD for flexible substrates.