Growth of magnesium oxide thin films using single molecular precursors by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Thin films of MgO have been deposited on Si(100) and c-plane sapphire subst rates by the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method using M g(tmhd)(2) and Mg(acac)(2) as single molecular precursors and oxygen as car rier gas. We have synthesized the metal-organic precursors used in this stu dy. Strongly [111] oriented polycrystalline MgO films were obtained on both Si(100) and c-plane sapphire substrates using these precursors in the temp erature range 500-600 degrees C. The MgO thin films grown on Si(100) at 600 degrees C and on c-plane sapphire at 500 degrees C with Mg(tmhd)(2) are hi ghly oriented in the [111] direction. whereas the MgO film grown on Si(100) at 350 degrees C and then annealed at 520 degrees C has no preferred orien tation. In the case of using Mg(acac)(2) as precursor, however, the MgO fil m deposited on c-plane sapphire surface at a deposition temperature above 5 00 degrees C was grown with more [110] and [100] dominant orientation relat ively rather than [111]. Furthermore, we have also shown that the synthesiz ed precursors Mg(tmhd)(2) and Mg(acac)(2) are suitable precursors for obtai ning MgO thin films by MOCVD and the substrate or precursor type and the gr owth temperature will be important factors influencing either the crystal g rowth direction or the crystallinity of the films. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc e S.A. All rights reserved.