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

这项研究奖在无机，生物无机和有机化学计划支持教授格雷戈里S。伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校的Girolami博士正在开发新的、性能更好的材料和新的制造方法，以实现集成电路的持续小型化。 本研究涉及新的过渡金属化合物的合成和表征，这些化合物可以作为低温薄膜生长的前体，以及使用这些化合物来存款薄膜。 一个特别的重点是含有过渡金属和硼的化合物的化学性质，这些化合物可以作为生长过渡金属硼化物薄膜的前体，过渡金属硼化物具有高导电性，但化学惰性极强。 将研究膜形成的化学和机制，以便更好地理解沉积化学，并指导更好方法的开发。 研究生和本科生都将参与研究，并接受高级培训和指导，使他们能够为解决国家的关键需求做出贡献。该项目解决了微电子行业的关键问题。 这项工作的潜在成果是开发用于阻挡层的方法和材料，以防止集成电路的两个关键部件铜和硅之间发生不期望的反应，并开发改进的方法，以在深凹处中存款均匀厚度的薄膜，纵横比大于10：1，从而可以在较小的规模上制造关键电路部件，如互连和动态随机存取存储器（DRAM）电容器。

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.