Synthesis of New Molecular Precursors and Development of Surface Catalysts and Inhibitors for the Chemical Vapor Deposition of Thin Films

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This research award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor Gregory S. Girolami at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to develop new and better-performing materials and new fabrication methods that will enable the continued miniaturization of integrated circuits. This research involves the synthesis and characterization of new transition metal compounds that could serve as precursors for the low-temperature growth of thin films, and the use of these compounds to deposit thin films. A particular focus is on the chemistry of compounds that contain both transition metals and boron, which could serve as precursors to grow films of transition metal borides, which are highly electrically conductive but extremely chemically inert. The chemistry and mechanisms of film formation will be studied in order to obtain a better understanding of the deposition chemistry and to guide the development of better methods. Both graduate and undergraduate students will participate in the research, and receive advanced training and mentoring that will enable them to contribute to the solution of key national needs.This project addresses critical problems in the microelectronics industry. Potential outcomes of the work are the development of methods and materials for barriers that would prevent undesired reactions between copper and silicon, which are two key components of integrated circuits, and the development of improved methods to deposit uniformly-thick films in deep recesses with aspect ratios of greater than 10:1, so that key circuit components such as interconnects and dynamic random access memory (DRAM) capacitors can be made on a smaller scale.