A Liquid Ge(IV) Precursor for Low Temperature Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Germanium Oxide Thin Films

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Florian Preischel - , Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Karl Rönnby - , University College Cork (Autor:in)
  • Martin Wilken - , Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Autor:in)
  • Jean Pierre Glauber - , Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Samuel Froeschke - , Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Detlef Rogalla - , Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Autor:in)
  • Thomas Gemming - , Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Alexey A. Popov - , Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Peter Dement - , Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Michael Nolan - , University College Cork (Autor:in)
  • Anjana Devi - , Professur für Materialchemie (gB/IFW), Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden, Fraunhofer-Institut für Mikroelektronische Schaltungen und Systeme (Autor:in)

Abstract

Germanium oxide thin films are promising for advanced applications such as microelectronics, optoelectronics, high-power electronics, optics, and biomedical uses. However, scalable and controlled low-temperature synthesis of GeO2 thin films via atomic layer deposition (ALD) is limited by the small range of available Ge precursors. We introduce monomeric tetrakis-3-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl germanium(IV) [Ge(DMP)4] as a promising Ge precursor. It is non-pyrophoric, thermally stable, and liquid, and can be obtained in high purity on a multigram scale through an industrially feasible synthesis. Using density functional theory (DFT) and mass spectrometry (MS), we rationalize the coordination environment and identify a feasible chemisorption pathway, indicating a high reactivity of the precursor. Subsequently, [Ge(DMP)4] was employed in low-temperature plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD) over a wide temperature range from 40°C to 240°C, yielding smooth, uniform germanium oxide films. Rapid and homogeneous nucleation leads to dense films with sub-nanometer thickness. By adjusting the deposition temperature and plasma duration, the film composition could be readily tuned from GeO2 to sub-stoichiometric GeOx. These findings establish [Ge(DMP)4] as an effective, scalable precursor for low-temperature ALD of GeO2, emphasizing the critical role of precursor chemistry in ALD process development.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummere11982
FachzeitschriftSmall
Jahrgang22
Ausgabenummer20
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 7 Apr. 2026
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

PubMed 41709821

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • atomic layer deposition, density functional theory, main group elements, precursor design, thin films