Developments in the Understanding of ALD Processes and Applications of ALD in Critical Technologies

In part 1 of this paper the use of near-IR diode laser spectroscopy to detect short (<20 ms) gas pulses entering a reactor under ALD growth conditions is demonstrated using water and ammonia as example gases. The subsequent decay of the diode laser signal due to absorption of the target species is shown to depend on the reactor design and pumping characteristics. In part 2 of this paper the modification og colloidal photonic crystals using the ALD growth of Al2O3 and VOx is described. Al2O3 growth is shown to be extremely conformal and capable of producing patterned substrates using the colloidal photonic crystal as a mask. VOx growth is shown to produce a photonic crystal possessing an easily observable thermochromic shift in stop band.