Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Thin ruthenium films were deposited using chemical vapor deposition from the single-source precursor tricarbonyl(1,3-cyclohexadiene)Ru(0) onto silicon, silicon dioxide and c-plane sapphire substrates in the absence of a carrier gas by thermolysis. Growth rate, resistivity, purity, crystallinity and microstructure were determined. Tricarbonyl(1,3-cyclohexadiene)Ru(0) gave metallic ruthenium films with near bulk resistivities (11-21μΩ-cm), high growth rates (up to 20 nm/min), and nearly featureless microstructures. Nucleation was rapid on all substrates tested. These results suggest that tricarbonyl(1,3-cyclohexadiene)Ru(0) is an excellent, practical precursor to use for practical applications that require depositing thin ruthenium films.