Highly volatile iridium(I) carbonyl complexes (1-5) with three anionic fluorinated chelates, namely ketoiminate, aminoalkoxide, or iminoalkoxide, have been synthesized and their physical properties relevant to CVD are evaluated. A single-crystal Xray diffraction (XRD) study on Ir(CO) 2 (amakNMe 2 ) (3) confirms a square-planar geometry with two cis-orientated carbonyl ligands. Metallic iridium, polycrystalline IrO 2 thin films, or even patterned IrO 2 nanowires are deposited using Ir(CO) 2 (hfdaN n Pr) (5) as the CVD precursor. A systematic investigation of the deposition of IrO 2 nanowires is conducted, showing a close correlation of observed crystallite morphology with applied system pressure, underlying growth surface, and deposition temperature. Of particular importance, tilted and vertically aligned IrO 2 nanowires are obtained on LiTaO 3 (012) and LiNbO 3 (100) surfaces under a pressure of 30 Torr of oxygen at 425°C. The morphology and structural composition of the IrO 2 are confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and XRD analyses.