Molybdenum(III) Amidinate: Synthesis, Characterization, and Vapor Phase Growth of Mo-Based Materials

Abstract

The synthesis, characterization, and thermogravimetric analysis of tris(N,N′-di-isopropylacetamidinate)molybdenum(III), Mo-(iPr-AMD) 3 , are reported. Mo(iPr-AMD) 3 is a rare example of a homoleptic mononuclear complex of molybdenum(III) and fills a longstanding gap in the literature of transition metal(III) trisamidinate complexes. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveals excellent volatilization at elevated temperatures, pointing to potential applications as a vapor phase precursor for higher temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD), or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of Mo-based materials. The measured TGA temperature window was 200−314 °C for samples in the 3−20 mg range. To validate the utility of Mo(iPr-AMD) 3 , we demonstrate aerosol-assisted CVD growth of MoO 3 from benzonitrile solutions of Mo(iPr-AMD) 3 at 500 °C using compressed air as the carrier gas. The resulting films are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. We further demonstrate the potential for ALD growth at 200 °C with a Mo(iPr-AMD) 3 /Ar purge/300 W O 2 plasma/Ar purge sequence, yielding ultrathin films which retain a nitride/oxynitride component. Our results highlight the broad scope utility and potential of Mo(iPr-AMD) 3 as a stable, high-temperature precursor for both CVD and ALD processes.

Evaluation of tin nitride (Sn3N4) via atomic layer deposition using novel volatile Sn precursors

“…Because of their facile modifiability and tunable properties, these ligands serve as versatile candidates for thin film deposition. 26–28…”