3. Conclusions and trends

The role of molecular engineering in the development of precursors for ALD is crucial not only for obtaining very high performance deposits, but also for developing new materials and even new ALD processes. The challenge in ALD precursor chemistry is to find the best metal + ligand combination in terms of structural and chemical characteristics to obtain the desired material in the form of thin films or foils.

Table 3 summarizes the general properties attributed to each major family of precursors, providing a rough sketch of the ideal precursor.