Atomic Layer Deposition of Cerium Dioxide Film on TiN and Si Substrates: Structural and Chemical Properties

Cerium dioxide (CeO2) thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on both Si and TiN substrates. The ALD growth produces CeO2 cubic polycrystalline films on both substrates. However, the films show a preferential orientation along < 200 > crystallographic direction for CeO2/Si or < 111 > for CeO2/TiN. In correspondence, we measure a relative concentration of Ce3+ equals to 22.0% in CeO2/Si and around 18% in CeO2/TiN, by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Such values indicate the presence of oxygen vacancies in the films. Our results underline the films differences and similarities between ALD-deposited CeO2 either on Si or TiN substrates, thus extending the knowledge on the CeO2 structural and chemical properties.