Continuous ultrathin layers of ZnS produced by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction technique

Abstract

We demonstrate the pivotal role of rinsing in Sequential Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) deposition, which allowed us to obtain continuous layers of ZnS with a thickness below 10 nm. SILAR is a low-temperature inexpensive process suitable to cover large areas of both flat and irregular surfaces. The original idea of SILAR is the substitution of Atomic Layer Deposition by a chemical approach keeping the control of deposited films on a similar monolayer level. Unfortunately, many applications of the SILAR technique result in the deposition of fairly thick films far from monolayer control. We demonstrate that carefully following the original recipe results in SILAR deposition with monolayer accuracy.