Method and apparatus for forming a thin film of a metal compound

摘要

A method for forming a thin film of a metal compound is disclosed. Within a vacuum chamber, a metallic ultra-thin film of a metal or an incompletely-reacted metal is deposited on a substrate. The metallic ultra-thin film is brought in contact with the electrically neutral activated species of a reactive gas so as to convert the metallic ultra-thin film to an ultra-thin film of a metal compound through the reaction of the metallic ultra-thin film with the activated species of the reactive gas. The above-described steps are sequentially repeated so as to deposit on the substrate the ultra-thin film of the metal compound in layers until a thin film of the metal compound having a desired thickness is formed on the substrate.