Investigating Novel Reactivities of Transition Metal Complexes and Pathways in the Formation of Microelectronic Materials

NSF化学部的化学合成计划支持田纳西诺克斯维尔大学的薛子玲教授研究微电子中使用的金属氧化物材料。新材料，如金属氧化物，用于替代栅极材料中的二氧化硅，由于它们允许进一步的器件小型化，目前引起了人们的强烈兴趣。利用化学气相沉积(CVD)或原子层沉积(ALD)工艺从早期过渡金属络合物合成金属氧化物材料。虽然这些材料可能非常有用，但人们往往不清楚它们是如何由前体化合物与水或氧气反应形成的。该项目中包括的深入研究试图了解氧气和水的反应，从而指出更好地商业化制造微电子设备的可能合成途径。这项研究为培养学生成为化学合成和机械研究跨学科领域的未来科学家提供了一个很好的机会。鼓励女性和代表性不足的少数族裔学生，以及来自田纳西州贫困率较高地区的高中生参与这项研究。氧是一种双自由基。它的许多反应本质上是自由基(一个电子)，研究起来很有挑战性，特别是对于氧的反应和经常发生配体氧化的早期过渡金属络合物。这项研究探索了不寻常的过氧锆络合物的形成途径，研究了过氧络合物的反应活性，并研究了其他早期过渡金属络合物与氧的反应。研究中的配合物含有具有不同电子和空间性质的配体。这项研究加深了对金属络合物与氧反应的理解。水与络合物反应的研究揭示了络合物转化为金属氧化物的机理途径。这项研究还有助于开发用于合成微电子材料的新的CVD/ALD前体和工艺。

The Chemical Synthesis Program of the NSF Division of Chemistry supports the research of Professor Ziling (Ben) Xue of the University of Tennessee Knoxville for the investigation of metal oxide materials that are used in microelectronics. New materials, such as metal oxides which are used in the replacement silicon oxide in gate materials, are of intense current interest as they allow further device miniaturization. Metal oxide materials are synthesized from early transition metal complexes using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. While these materials can be very useful, it is often not clear how they are formed from reactions of precursor compounds with water or oxygen. The in-depth studies included in this project seek to understand the reactions of oxygen and water and thus indicate possible synthetic pathways to better commercial manufacturing of microelectronics devices. This research provides a good opportunity to train students to become future scientists in interdisciplinary areas of chemical synthesis and mechanistic studies. Female and underrepresented minority students, as well as high school students from areas of Tennessee with high poverty rates, are encouraged to participate in the research. Oxygen is a diradical. Many of its reactions are radical (one electron) in nature and are challenging to investigate especially with regard to reactions of oxygen and early transition metal complexes where ligand oxidation often occurs. This research probes the pathways for the formation of unusual zirconium peroxo complexes, investigates the reactivities of the peroxo complexes, and studies the reactions of other early transition metal complexes with oxygen. The complexes under study contain ligands with different electronic and steric properties. This research enhances the understanding of how metal complexes react with oxygen. The studies of the reactions between water and the complexes reveal the mechanistic pathways in the conversion of the complexes to metal oxides. The research also aids in the development new CVD/ALD precursors and processes for use in the synthesis of microelectronic materials.