Patent ID: 7312165

Claim:
A method of depositing a thin film of germanium oxide and an oxide of a non-germanium metal by atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto a substrate in an ALD chamber, comprising the steps of: a) chemisorbing a first precursor compound onto the substrate, the first precursor compound including the non-germanium metal; b) allowing a first co-reactant compound to react with the first precursor compound chemisorbed onto the substrate thereby forming a thin film of an oxide of the non-germanium metal, the first co-reactant compound including oxygen; c) chemisorbing a second precursor compound onto the thin film of the oxide of the non-germanium metal, wherein the second precursor compound comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of: 1) a germanium tetraalkoxide of the formula Ge(OR1)(OR2)(OR3)(OR4), wherein each of the groups R1, R2, R3, and R4 is selected from: i) the formula (CH2)nCH3, wherein n ranges from 0 to 3; ii) the formula C(CH3)3; or iii) the formula CH(CH3)2; and wherein each of the R1, R2, R3, and R4 groups may be the same or different, and 2) a germanium alkylamine of the formula Ge(NR1R2)(NR3R4)(NR5R6), wherein each of the groups R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 is selected from: i) the formula (CH2)nCH3, wherein n ranges from 0 to 3; ii) the formula C(CH3)3; or iii) the formula CH(CH3)2; and wherein each of the R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 groups may be the same or different, and d) allowing a second co-reactant compound to react with the second precursor compound chemisorbed onto the thin film of an oxide of the non-germanium metal thereby forming a thin film of germanium oxide on the thin film of the oxide of the non-germanium metal.