Studies of Organometallic Precursors to Aluminum Nitride
Abstract
The reaction of trialkylaluminum compounds with ammonia has been examined as a potential route to high purity AlN powder and to AlN thins films. This reaction proceeds in stages in which the initially formed Lewis acid/base adduct undergoes thermal decomposition to a series of intermediate alkylaluminum-amide and -imide species with increasing Al-N bonding, i.e., R3A1 + NH3 yields R3Al:NH3 yields AlN + 3RH (where R = CH3, C2H5, C4H9, etc.). The structure and properties of several of these species have been studied using various physical and chemical methods, leading to a better understanding of the chemistry of this novel A1N precursor system. The structure of the intermediate organoaluminum amide, (CH3)2AlNH2, has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods and found to contain molecular trimer units with a six- membered Al-N ring structure similar to those which make up the wurzite structure of AlN. This compound is readily volatile and has been used to deposit AlN thin films on Si surfaces by a low-pressure CVD process. This approach has also been used to prepare AlN as a high surface area, high purity powder. Keywords: Chemical vapor deposition; Organoaluminum amide.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 09, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA169482
Entities
People
- Christopher Whitmarsh
- Leonard V. Interrante
- Leslie E. Carpenter Ii
- Wei Lee
Organizations
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute