Thin films of iron oxide by low pressure MOCVD using a novel precursor: tris( t-butyl-3-oxo-butanoato)iron(III)

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 424; no. 1; pp. 56 - 60
• Main Authors: Shalini, K, Subbanna, G.N, Chandrasekaran, S, Shivashankar, S.A
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.01.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition; Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Iron oxide; Materials science; Metalorganic; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Physics; Thin films; Thin films; Iron oxide; Chemical vapor deposition; Metalorganic; Iron II Complexes; Scanning electron microscopy; Inorganic compounds; Transition element complexes; Transition element compounds; Oxides; Crystal growth from vapors; XRD; Experimental study; MOCVD; Precursor; TGA; DTA; Characterization; Transmission electron microscopy; Optical transmission; Low pressure; Ketoester; Iron oxides
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/S0040-6090(02)00903-3

Deposition of thin films of iron oxide on glass has been carried out using a novel precursor, tris( t-butyl-3-oxo-butanoato)iron(III), in a low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. The new precursor was characterized for its thermal properties by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and by optical measurements. XRD studies reveal that films grown at substrate temperatures below ∼550 °C and at low oxygen flow rates comprise only the phase Fe 3O 4 (magnetite). At higher temperatures and at higher oxygen flow rates, an increasing proportion of α-Fe 2O 3 is formed along with Fe 3O 4. Films of magnetite grown under different reactive ambients—oxygen and nitrous oxide—have very different morphologies, as revealed by scanning electron microscopic studies.