Pugliese A, Shyam B, Repa GM, Nguyen AH, Mehta A, Webb III EB, Fredin LA, Strandwitz NC. Atomic-Layer-Deposited Aluminum Oxide Thin Films Probed with X-ray Scattering and Compared to Molecular Dynamics and Density Functional Theory Models.
ACS OMEGA 2022;
7:41033-41043. [PMID:
36406558 PMCID:
PMC9670265 DOI:
10.1021/acsomega.2c04402]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A better understanding of amorphous aluminum oxide's structure and electronic properties is obtained through combined experimental and computational approaches. Grazing incidence X-ray scattering measurements were carried out on aluminum oxide thin films grown using thermal atomic layer deposition. The corresponding pair distribution functions (PDFs) showed structures similar to previously reported PDFs of solid-state amorphous alumina and molten alumina. Structural models based on crystalline alumina polymorphs (PDFgui) and amorphous alumina (molecular dynamics, MD) were examined for structural comparisons to the experimental PDF data. Smaller MD models were optimized and verified against larger models to allow for quantum chemical electronic structure calculations. The electronic structure of the amorphous alumina models yields additional insight into the band structure and electronic defects present in amorphous alumina that are not present in crystalline samples.
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