Method, materials and process for native oxide removal and regrowth of dielectric oxides for better biosensor performance

A method for depositing dielectric material, comprising:

• positioning a MEMS device for biological applications having an array of metal structures formed thereon in a process chamber;
• introducing a first precursor into the process chamber;
• introducing a second precursor into the process chamber;
• performing a water pulse in the process chamber;
• and
• forming a dielectric layer over the array of metal structures, the dielectric layer having a surface potential of between about 50 mV dec-1 and about 70 mV dec-1 and a controlled number of active sites, wherein the controlled number of active sites comprises hydroxyl groups.

A method for forming a substrate for biosensing, comprising;

• positioning a MEMS device for biological applications having an array of metal structures formed thereon in a process chamber, the array of metal structures having a native oxide layer formed thereon;
• exposing the native oxide layer to one or more ligands to volatize the native oxide layer, the one or more ligands being selected from the group consisting of primary amines, secondary amines, and tertiary amines;
• removing the volatized native oxide layer by etching or desorption during a heating process to reduce a signal-to-noise ratio of the MEMS device for biological applications;
• introducing a first precursor into the process chamber;
• introducing a second precursor into the process chamber;
• performing a water pulse in the process chamber;
• and
• forming a dielectric layer over the array of metal structures, the dielectric layer having a surface potential of between about 50 mV dec-1 and about 70 mV dec-1 and a controlled number of active sites.