Vapor deposition of silicon dioxide nanolaminates

An integrated circuit, comprising:

• a semiconductor substrate with a plurality of neighboring active device regions;
• trenches embedded within the semiconductor substrate between the neighboring device regions;
• and
• a silica nanolaminate material that fills the trenches conformally and without voids, the silica nanolaminate comprising alternating layers of catalytically-grown silica having a thickness in the range of about 2-15 nm and alumina having a thickness of about 0.1 nm or more that serves as a catalyst for the growth of said silica layer,
• wherein the substrate comprises a pore having an opening on a surface of the trenches, and
• wherein a portion of the silica nanolaminate material forms a plug sealing the opening of the pore and leaving at least an interior portion of the pore as a void.

A coated article, comprising:

• a substrate conformally coated with a silica nanolaminate material, the silica nanolaminate comprising at least one ALD-deposited, catalytically-grown silica layer having a thickness of greater than about 2 nm and at least one ALD-deposited layer comprising a Lewis acidic metal or metalloid that serves as a catalyst for the growth of said silica layer,
• wherein each of said layer comprising a Lewis acid metal or metalloid comprises at most an atomic monolayer of said Lewis acidic metal or metalloid,
• wherein the substrate comprises a pore having an opening on a surface of the substrate, and
• wherein a portion of the silica nanolaminate material forms a plug sealing the opening of the pore and leaving at least an interior portion of the pore as a void.

A coated article comprising a silica nanolaminate layer comprising at least one catalytically-grown silica layer having a thickness greater than about 2 nm and at least one layer comprising a Lewis acidic metal or metalloid that serves as a catalyst for the growth of said silica layer, wherein each of said layer comprising a Lewis acid metal or metalloid comprises at most an atomic monolayer of said Lewis acidic metal or metalloid,

• the silica nanolaminate layer prepared by subjecting the article to one or more deposition cycles, each deposition cycle comprising:
• (a) exposing the article to a vapor of a metal or metalloid compound, wherein the metal or metalloid has Lewis acidic character, to deposit a layer comprising the metal or metalloid on the article, and
• (b) exposing the article to a silanol vapor, wherein said silanol vapor forms a deposit on the layer of the metal or metalloid,
• wherein the article comprises a pore having an opening on a surface of the article, and
• wherein a portion of the silica nanolaminate material conforms to the surface and another portion of the silica nanolaminate material forms a plug sealing the opening of the pore and leaving at least an interior portion of the pore as a void.