Strem Chemicals & Gordon Lab at Harvard collaborating on ALD Precursors

According to a recent press release (below) Strem Chemicals inc. in the US is now collaborating with the famous Gordon Research Group at Harvard on transition metal amidinate ALD Precursors. This collaboration includes the distribution of those precursors out of The UK and Ireland. Earlier the distribution here in Europe was through DOW but as previously reported DOW has dropped ALD precursors - so this is very good news for us here in Europe that Strem who has excellent distribution services will handle of this business here. Luckily I just got the new catalog from Strem and could look up some of these precursors including in the deal between Strem and Harvard (see pictures below).

Families of volatile metal available for use in ALD applications

Strem Chemicals Inc in the US works with Roy Gordon’s Group at Harvard University, who produce transition metal amidinates for metal, nitride and oxide layer deposition, allowing Strem Chemicals UK to distribute them in the UK and Eire.

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a vapour phase technique capable of producing thin films of a variety of materials.  As device requirements push toward smaller and more spatially demanding structures, ALD has demonstrated potential advantages over alternative deposition methods.  ALD offers exceptional conformity on high-aspect ratio structures, thickness control at the angstrom level, and tunable film composition from metal oxides to noble metals.  ALD has emerged as a powerful tool for many industrial and research applications including ferroelectric memories, switches, radiation detectors, thin-film capacitors and microelectromechanical structures (MEMS).  They also are affording significant improvements in solar cell devices, high-k transistors, solid oxide fuels, protective coatings, fuel cells, + ion- batteries and nanogratings. 

ALD procedures feature alternating exposures of chemical precursors to form desired materials, often at significantly lower temperatures then CVD analogues allow.  Typically, ALD processes are conducted at modest temperature. In this regard, amidinates of transition metals have recently arrived on the scene and have proven to be promising reagents for the future.  These products have thermal stability and are reactive.  The benefit of thermal volatility combined with opportunities to develop customized systems for low-temperature deposition, make these attractive precursors.  In addition, their use leads to the elimination of corrosive halogens, and the amidinates are soluble in inert solvents at room temperature.  Furthermore, these compounds are becoming more readily available. 

Bis(N,N'-di-i-propylacetamidinato) cobalt (II), min. 98% CAS 635680-58-9

Strem Chemicals is pleased to announce that we are expanding a new line of Roy Gordon amidinate compounds to include cobalt, copper, and iron analogues.  Bis(N,N'-di-i-propylacetamidinato) cobalt (II), min. 98% CAS 635680-58-9 Bis(N,N'-di-sec-butylacetamidinato)dicopper(I),99% CAS 695188-31-9 and Bis(N,N'-di-t-butylacetamidinato)iron (II), min. 98% CAS 635680-56-7 is an effective precursor (with metal nitrogen bonds) used in the Atomic Layer Deposition of metals, nitrides, and oxides.

 Bis(N,N'-di-sec-butylacetamidinato)dicopper(I),99% CAS 695188-31-9

The product sublimes at 50°C (50 mTorr) and has a melting point of 84°C.  Cobalt oxide (CoO) films have been grown on Si(001) by (ALD) at low temperatures (170–180 °C), using water as a co-reactant with 27-0485 CAS 635680-58-9 Highly conformal CoSi2 films, with low resistivity, are formed using 27-0485 via an annealing of ALD Co thin films, in addition to CoSi2 nanowires. CAS  695188-31-9 has a vapour pressure of 0.1mm at 85°C and serves  as a good precursor (with metal nitrogen bonds)for use in Atomic Layer Deposition of metals, metal nitrides, and oxides CAS 635680-56-7  melts at 107°C and is very useful as an iron amidinate precursor in the deposition of iron, iron carbides and iron nitride thin films along with CAS 635680-56-7 which is one our latest additions in a Swavelok cylinder.