This is meant to be a brief overview of the developments of research activities in Japan on organometallic compounds related to their use in electronic and optoelectronic devices.The importance of organometallic compounds in the deposition of metal and semiconductor films for the fabrication of many electronic and optoelectronic devices cannot be exaggerated. Their scope has now extended to thin-film electronic ceramics and high-temperature oxide superconductors. A variety of organometallic compounds have been used as source materials in many types of processing procedures, such as metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE), metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy (MOMBE), etc. Deposited materials include silicon, Group 111-V and 11-VI compound semiconductors, metals, superconducting oxides and other inorganic materials.Organometallic compounds are utilized as such in many electronic and optoelectronic devices; examples are conducting and semiconducting materials, photovoltaic, photochromic, electrochromic and nonlinear optical materials.This review consists of two parts: (I) research related to the fabrication of semiconductor, metal and inorganic materials; and (11) research related to the direct use of organometallic materials and basic fundamental research. Keywords: Microelectronics, optoelectronics, semiconductors, metals, MOCVD, MOVPE, MOMBE, photochemistry, metal complexes, organometallic polymersThe importance of organometallic compounds in the deposition of metal and semiconductor films for the fabrication of many electronic and optoelectronic devices cannot be e~aggerated.'-~ Their scope has now extended to thin-film electronic ceramics and high-temperature oxide supercond~ctors.~ A variety of organometallic compounds have been used as source materials in 0 1991 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.0268-2605/91 /O40207-13$06.50 many types of processing procedures, such as metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), metal-organic molecular-beam epitaxy (MOMBE), etc. Deposited materials are silicon, Group 111-V and 11-VI compound semiconductors,* metals, superconducting oxides and other inorganic materials. From the viewpoint of organometallic chemists, who make every effort to synthesize many new compounds which are nonexistent in nature, it may seem wasteful to decompose them again to obtain metal components. However, this produces a variety of highly efficient and also highly valuable devices which are essential to human life in the contemporary age. On the other hand, organometallic compounds are utilized as such in many electronic and optoelectronic devices. Conducting and semiconducting materials, photovoltaic, photochromic, electrochromic and nonlinear optical materials are a few such compounds utilized in these devices.This paper is meant to give a brief overview of the developments of research activities in Japan on organometallic compounds related to their use in electronic and optoelectronic devices. The coverage i...
