Thermal and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of TiN using TDMAT and NH3 on particles agitated in a rotary reactor

Titanium nitride (TiN) shows metallic-type electrical behavior and is therefore an interesting material to improve the conductivity of a wide variety of powders. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an excellent technique for achieving the desired ultrathin but conformal coatings. To conformally coat large amounts of particles using ALD, agitation of the particles and efficient reactant usage are necessary. Thermal and plasma-enhanced ALD growth of TiN using tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium (TDMAT) and NH3 as precursors on agitated particles was performed using a rotary reactor to deposit TiN on ZnO submicrometer powder. The NH3 plasma pulse was monitored using in situ mass spectrometry (MS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) measurements to gain insight into the reaction mechanism of the plasma-enhanced process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and powder resistivity measurements were performed to determine the influence of the deposition process on the composition and conductivity of the deposited TiN layers.