Plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of inorganic nanomaterials using a chloride precursor

Plasmas have been widely used for the fabrication of nanomaterials owing to their unique properties in chemical reactions. The plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) technique has been applied to produce a large variety of materials. In this perspective, we take a look at the progress made in the research of PECVD using chloride precursors in the last decade. We discuss the advantage of using a plasma compared with the thermal chemical vapour deposition technique and emphasize the special effects of plasma on nanomaterial fabrications in the PECVD technique, including kinetic and thermodynamic effects. We also outline the current challenges for this technique, and attempt to offer our personal opinion on the future applications of the PECVD technique with chloride precursors.