<p>Selective deposition is a powerful self-aligned precision
materials processing strategy which can hugely benefit next-generation
nanoelectronics, catalysis, and energy conversion/storage fields. Atomic layer
deposition (ALD) is showing a significant promise in enabling area-selective
deposition using various growth blocking layers including self-assembled
monolayers (SAMs) and various polymers. However, these blocking layers are not
compatible with energetic co-reactants like ozone and plasma radicals, showing
relatively fast degradation and losing their growth inhibition character. In this
work, we demonstrate that polymerized fluorocarbon surfaces function as
effective growth inhibitors for ALD-grown Pt and Pd films. Besides effectively inhibiting
film growth with considerable nucleation delays for, Pt experiments revealed
that polymerized CF<sub>x</sub> layers are also ozone-compatible. To the best
of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an AS-ALD process using
ozone as co-reactant for noble metals. In our manuscript, we detail our observations of
(Pt,Pd) film nucleation evolution and self-aligned deposition experiments on
patterned samples. We have performed in-depth chemical and surface characterizations along the nucleation studies and self-aligned patterning
experiments.</p>