Platinum film growth by chemical vapor deposition based on autocatalytic oxidative decomposition

Platinum thin films were prepared by chemical vapor deposition based on the oxidative decomposition of (methylcyclopentadienyl)trimethylplatinum [CH3C 5H4Pt(CH3)(3)] as a precursor. The film growth is characterized by slow gro wth during the initial stage, followed by explosive growth on the initial l ayer. With increasing oxygen ratio and temperature, the duration of the ini tial stage is shortened and the growth rate on the initial growth layer is increased. However, an Arrhenius plot gives an activation energy of 0.7 eV regardless of the temperature or the oxygen ratio. Therefore, the rate-dete rmining step of the entire reaction is the oxidative decomposition of the p recursor on the growth front. On the other hand, an autocatalysis of platin um enhances the oxygen adsorption, which increases the collision frequency between the oxidizing species adsorbed and the source transferred on the gr owing surface. That is, the oxygen molecules that adsorbed and eventually s aturated on the substrate surface shorten the duration of the initial stage and increase the growth rate, since the oxidative decomposition is enhance d by the autocatalysis of a self-seed platinum layer. (C) 2001 The Electroc hemical Society.