SURFACE-REACTIONS OF TETRANEOPENTYL ZIRCONIUM ON ZIRCONIUM CARBIDE THIN-FILMS

Interest has arisen recently in the use of metal alkyl compounds as pr ecursors in the chemical vapor deposition of metal carbides. This pape r presents results of a study of the surface chemistry of one such pre cursor, tetraneopentyl zirconium (ZrNp4), on zirconium carbide thin fi lms. Decomposition of the precursor leads to the desorption of both me thane and a larger hydrocarbon species that is tentatively identified as neopentane. The desorption of large amounts of methane may help to explain the fact that ZrC films grown to date with this precursor are not stoichiometric but rather contain excess carbon.