Enhanced Growth in Sb2Te3/SnSe2 Multilayered Atomic Layer Deposition: Nucleation and Nanostructure Modification

Multilayer thin film structuring offers a versatile strategy to tailor nanostructures through interface engineering. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides precise control of composition and structure via supercycle approaches that enable the multiple metal species introduction. However, the resulting growth behavior is often interpreted without fully accounting for interfacial effects that govern precursor nucleation and nanostructure evolution. In this work, we demonstrate that introducing SnSe2 layers into Sb2Te3/SnSe2 multilayer films using ALD supercycle significantly enhances Sb2Te3 nucleation and accelerates out-of-plane growth, leading to an increase in growth per cycle (GPC) from 0.18 to 0.69 Å/cycle. First principles atomistic simulations of precursor deposition chemistry and extremely surface-sensitive low-energy ion scattering (LEIS) analysis confirm promotion of growth of Sb2Te3 in Sb2Te3/SnSe2 multilayer structures, which is also accompanied by elemental exchange reactions between Te and Se atoms. The resulting Sb2Te3/SnSe2 multilayer thin films exhibit increased charge carrier and phonon scattering, leading to a significant reduction in lattice thermal conductivity from 1.09 to 0.25 W/mK at room temperature due to the modulated nanostructure. This study establishes a robust analytical framework for understanding and engineering interfacial reactions and nucleation phenomena in ALD-based multilayer systems.