Molecular design of improved precursors for the MOCVD of oxides used in microelectronics

Metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) is an attractive technique for the deposition of dielectric and ferroelectric oxide thin films such as ZrO2, HfO2, Hf-aluminate and -silicate, lanthanide oxides, Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 and SrBi2Ta2O9, which have a variety of applications in microelectronic devices. In this paper the molecular design of a range of new oxide precursors is described. It is shown how the careful selection and design of precursor ligands, such as alkoxides and β-diketonates, leads to precursors with improved physical properties and significantly enhanced MOCVD performance.