Chemical Vapour Deposition of Metastable Ni3N

Abstract

Metastable nickel nitride (Ni3N) has been chemically vapour deposited by the use of bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)Ni(II) (Ni(thd)2) and ammonia precursors. The growth on both non-etched Si(100) and amorphous SiO2 is polycrystalline at deposition temperatures between 200-290{degree sign}C. However, at the highest temperatures the impurity level of oxygen and carbon originating from the metal precursor ligand, is about 5%. The growth rate dependence of temperature is divided into three different regions with large differences in activation energies, interpreted as different factors controlling the growth. In addition the deposition rate as a function of precursor supply as well as the incubation time for the growth initiation are different at temperatures which are further indications of differences in reaction mechanism. By substitution of NH3 for H2 to the reactant gas the growth mechanism is shown to occur via surface -NHx groups.