Synthesis of New Precursors for Vapor Deposition

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division supports the project led by Professor Roy Gordon. Professor Gordon is a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Harvard University. In this project, he is discovering new compounds that contain important metals for the fabrication of faster and more energy-efficient computers and enable the transmission of electrical energy over longer distances, as required for using more clean and renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro power. The goal is to make the new compounds so that they are suitable for depositing the metals onto heated surfaces so that they can then be used in the construction of new devices. At the current time, none of the known compounds that contain these metals have the properties needed for this effort. The project employs techniques from organic, inorganic, and materials chemistry. Professor Gordon trains a wide range of students, including those from groups currently underrepresented in science, and he participates in a range of outreach activities that include the design of new exhibits at the Boston Museum of Science. This project is synthesizing novel divalent and trivalent metals of groups 4, 5, and 6 supported by amidinate, guanidinate, and cyclopentadienyl ligands. Initial targets are relatives of known Ti(III) and V(III) amidinates, followed by more ambitious targets, including compounds of Ti(II), Zr(III), Hf(III), Nb(II), Nb(III), and Mo(III). The fundamental knowledge gained in the project may help to solve important technological problems, including deposition of smaller interconnects for computers, and making superconducting wires for the long-distance transmission of electricity. Particularly important targets are Ti(II) compounds, for which no examples are known with the desired combination of properties: volatility, thermal stability, and high reactivity. The chosen ligands combine steric and electronic properties expected to stabilize highly reactive Ti(II) compounds. Similar strategies are being explored for Zr, Hf, V, Nb and Mo, for which only a few compounds even come close to combining all of these desired properties. The project also provides technical input toward the design of new museum exhibits on sustainability, energy conservation, and renewable energy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.