Reducing adhesion force by means of atomic layer deposition of ZnO films with nanoscale surface roughness.

Adhesion is a big concern for the design of Si-based microelectromechanical devices. A ZnO film with nanoscale surface roughness is a promising candidate to decrease adhesion as the protective coating. In this study, the adhesion force of ZnO films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a Si (100) substrate was studied. The root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of the ZnO films was in the range of 0.7-4.28 nm, and the contact angle of water was in the range of 85-88°. The adhesion force was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) at both low (12%) and high (60%) relative humidities. The results show that the adhesion force decreases as the surface roughness increases. A low adhesion force at high RMS roughness is attributed to the large asperities on the film, and a large adhesion force at high humidity is attributed to the large capillary force. The experimental adhesion force was compared to the force calculated using the Rabinovich model. Although the theoretical value underestimates the experimental value, the proportion of the two components of the adhesion force is clearly shown. At the low humidity, the van der Waals force component differs not greatly with the capillary force component, while at the high humidity, the capillary force component becomes dominant.