黑料福利网

From chip-scale to large-scale coatings

Atomic layer deposition has long been essential in the semiconductor industry, enabling coatings just a few atoms thick with exceptional uniformity. However, traditional ALD is relatively slow and best suited for small, high-value components like microchips.

Spatial ALD offers a faster alternative, where surfaces move through different gas zones rather than repeatedly filling and emptying a chamber. This makes the process compatible with large-scale manufacturing, opening opportunities for applications such as solar panels, batteries, and optical coatings.

Coating complex and porous structures

One of the main challenges addressed in this research is achieving uniform coatings on complex surfaces, such as porous materials and powders. These structures contain countless small cavities that must all be coated evenly.

Van de Poll demonstrated that plasma-enhanced spatial ALD can achieve highly conformal coatings even under very short exposure times. Van de Poll demonstrated that plasma-enhanced spatial ALD can nevertheless achieve highly conformal coatings under extremely short exposure times. The high density of reactive species generated by the plasma compensates for the reduced diffusion associated with atmospheric-pressure operation.

Understanding unexpected growth behavior

Another focus of the thesis is understanding why coatings sometimes behave differently than predicted. In structured surfaces like trenches and grooves, growth can be influenced by a complex interplay of factors, including:

• temperature-dependent crystallization
• phase changes in the material
• unintended chemical species such as ozone

By uncovering these effects, the research provides a more complete understanding of thin-film growth mechanisms, enabling more reliable and predictable deposition in real-world applications.

Designing advanced and multi-component materials

Many modern applications require coatings made of multiple materials or doped compositions. Van de Poll developed new strategies for depositing such multi-component thin films, including a novel 鈥渟ubsaturated supercycle鈥� approach.

This method improves the electrical performance of materials such as aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), which is widely used as a conductive transparent layer. The work shows how subtle changes in deposition strategy can strongly influence crystal structure, conductivity, and overall material performance.

A new route toward green hydrogen

A key highlight of the thesis is the development of a new spatial ALD process for iridium oxide (IrO鈧�), a material used as a catalyst in water splitting for hydrogen production. By optimizing deposition and post-treatment conditions, Van de Poll demonstrated a viable route to creating high-quality catalyst layers compatible with large-scale production.

This represents an important step toward more efficient and scalable green hydrogen technologies, supporting the transition to sustainable energy systems.

Expanding the reach of atomic-scale coatings

By addressing challenges in conformality, growth behavior, and material complexity, this research broadens the range of applications that can benefit from spatial ALD, further strengthening its position as a manufacturing technology for advanced materials.

Van de Poll鈥檚 findings pave the way for applying ultra-thin coatings in a wide range of industries, from electronics and optics to renewable energy, bringing the precision of atomic-scale engineering to real-world scale. His work addresses several fundamental questions in the field, including challenges encountered by spatial ALD equipment suppliers in the Brainport region and more broadly across the Netherlands, all of which are partners in the project.