SrCoO 3−δ thin films by atomic layer deposition

Abstract Novel atomic layer deposition (ALD) process to deposit high-quality SrCoO3−δ thin films is introduced. Linear film growth is demonstrated within the film-thickness range of 15–300 nm. Post-annealing at 600 °C (in O2 or N2 atmosphere) is required to crystallize the as-deposited amorphous films. The new ALD process produces SrCoO3−δ films with a precisely controlled cation stoichiometry (±2.5%) and an appreciably high growth rate (1.67 A per supercycle), hence providing us with a prominent method of fabricating high-quality SrCoO3−δ thin films in a readily scalable manner e.g. for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell cathodes.