Heterobimetallic single-source precursors for MOCVD. Synthesis and characterization of volatile mixed ligand complexes of lanthanides, barium and magnesium β-diketonates with d-element containing ligands

Several heterobimetallic complexes of general formula [(M1Q)mM2(dik)n], where (M1Q) is Cu(salen) or Ni(salen) and M2(dik)n is a lanthanide tris(β-diketonate) or an alkali-earth element bis(β-diketonate) with more or less fluorinated diketonato(-) ligands, have been prepared and structurally characterized. Some of them were submitted to thermal and mass spectrometry analyses, and to isothermal vacuum sublimation tests, in view of their potential use as MOCVD single-source precursors for the deposition of heterobimetallic materials. The study stresses upon the influence of the nature of the diketone, of the M2 cation, and of chemical modification of the salen ligand on the thermal behaviours of the complexes. Some preliminary CVD experiments are also described