Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD)
(The C-Team)
C-team research is two-fold. First, we develop new molecular metal-organic precursors targeted for thin film growth by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). These precursors must be volatile, low-melting, monomeric complexes of the metals desired. Additional desirable characteristics for potential MOCVD precursors include thermal stability, non-toxicity, and a high-temperature decomposition pathway that leads to zero ligand incorporation into the growing film at the heated substrate interface. Synthesis of these main group, transition metal, and lanthanide complexes requires versatile skills, from air-free Schlenk and glovebox techniques to strategic organic synthetic applications.
The second component of our research is identifying metal oxide films of interest to the materials science community, and demonstrating in-house the MOCVD growth of these films using the precursors developed in our laboratory. MOCVD is often the preferred industrial method for thin film growth (it is used heavily in the semiconductor industry), but is limited by the availability of suitable precursors. The work our group carries out therefore makes a strong contribution to the field.
A cross-sectional transmission electron micrograph shows columnar CeO2
growth on a sapphire substrate
X-ray crystal structure of the new cerium precursor, Ce(miki)3
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