ORGANOMETALLIC PRECURSORS FOR PREPARATION OF SEMICONDUCTORS

The production of group III/V and II/VI semiconductors from organometallic precursors is a recent area of research, to which synthetic inorganic and organometallic chemists have been contributing with success, In this review we discuss mostly the developments in the tailoring of organometallic precursors for organometallic chemical vapour deposition (OMCVD). The resolution of the various problems associated with the early OMCVD decomposition of alkyls of groups II and III and hydrides of groups V and VI is described. For example, lack of stability of the precursors towards air and moisture has been tackled by use of Lewis base adducts of group II metal alkyls. Furthermore, a much better control over the product stoichiometry and purity has been achieved by use of new single source III/V precursors with strong sigma-bonding between group III and V elements and ligands that are capable of facile thermal elimination, Aspects of the synthesis, structure and of the mechanisms of OMCVD decomposition of such species are reported, Finally, as an ilustration of the scope of the area, a few examples of organometallic precursors for the synthesis of semiconductors via thermolysis and alcoholysis are also given.