Lyacine Aloui

CVD of Pure Copper Films from Amidinate Precursor

Copper(I) amidinate [Cu(i-Pr-Me-AMD)]2 was investigated to produce copper films in conventional low pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using hydrogen as reducing gas-reagent. Copper films were deposited on steel, silicon, and SiO2/Si substrates in the temperature range 200–350°C at a total pressure of 1333 Pa. The growth rate on steel follows the surface reaction between atomic hydrogen and the entire precursor molecule up to 240°C. A significant increase of the growth rate at temperatures higher than 300°C was attributed to thermal decomposition of the precursor molecule. It is shown that [Cu(i-Pr-Me-AMD)]2 meets the specifications for the metal organic chemical vapor deposition of Cu-based alloy coatings containing oxophilic elements such as aluminum.

Chemical Vapor Deposition of Iron, Iron Carbides, and Iron Nitride Films from Amidinate Precursors

Iron bis(N,N-diisopropylacetamidinate) [Fe2(µ-iPr-MeAMD)2(2-iPr-MeAMD)2] and iron bis(N,N-di-tert-butylacetamidinate) [Fe(tBu-MeAMD)2] were used as precursors for the metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of iron-containing compounds including pure iron, iron carbides, Fe3C and Fe4C, and iron nitrides Fe4C. Their decomposition mechanism involves hydrogen migration followed by dissociation of the Fe–N bond and the release of free hydrogenated ligand (HL) and radicals. Surface intermediates are either released or decomposed on the surface providing Fe–N or Fe–C bonds. MOCVD experiments were run at 10 Torr, in the temperature ranges of 350–450°C with Fe2(µ−iPr-MeAMD)2(2-iPr-MeAMD)2 and 280–350°C with Fe(tBu-MeAMD)2. Films prepared from Fe2(µ−iPr-MeAMD)2(2-iPr-MeAMD)2 contain Fe, Fe3C, and Fe4C. Those prepared from Fe(tBu-MeAMD)2 contain Fe, Fe3C, and also Fe4C or Fe4N, depending on the temperature and hydrogen to precursor ratio (H/P) in the input gas. The room-temperature coercive field of films processed from Fe(tBu-MeAMD)2 is 3 times higher than that of the high temperature processed Fe4N films.

Shape Optimization of a Showerhead System for the Control of Growth Uniformity in a MOCVD Reactor Using CFD-based Evolutionary Algorithms

A steady state, laminar flow coupled with heat transfer, gas-phase and surface chemistry, is numerically solved for the optimal design of a showerhead gas delivery system in an axis-symmetrical MOCVD reactor. The design method involves an evolutionary algorithm based on CFD simulations. A finite-volume CFD code for aluminum growth provides the numerical predictions of the growth rate and its spatial variation over the substrate. A multilevel evolutionary algorithm is used to continuously adjust the shape of the shower plate so as to minimize the spatial variation of the growth rate. A 5-variable parameterization of the shower plate is investigated and a near-optimal solution is proposed and compared to the original configuration of the shower plate.

Iron amidinates as precursors for the MOCVD of iron-containing thin films

Alain N. Gleizes, Vladislav Krisyuk, Lyacine Aloui, Asiya Turgambaeva, Bartosz Sarapata, Nathalie Prud’Homme, Francois Senocq, Diane Samelor, Anna Zielinska-Lipiec, Frederic Dumestre and Constantin Vahlas 1 CIRIMAT, ENSIACET, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31077 Toulouse cedex 4, France. E-mail: constantin.vahlas@ensiacet.fr, phone: +33 562 885 670, fax: +33 562 885 600 2 Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry SB RAS ; Ave. Lavrentiev, 3, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia. E-mail: vladislav.krisyuk@ensiacet.fr 3 AGH University of Science and Technology (AGHUST), Al. Mickiewicza 30, PL-30 059 Krakow, Poland. E-mail : sarapata@agh.edu.pl 4 NanoMePS ; Departement de Genie Physique, INSA, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 4, France. E-mail : contact@nanomeps.fr