Aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition of NbS2 and TaS2 thin films from pentakis(dimethylamido)metal complexes and 2-methylpropanethiol

Thin films of NbS2 and TaS2 have been produced from [M(NMe2)(5)] (M = Nb, Ta) and tBuSH by aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition on glass. Gold-colored, reflective films were obtained and deposition took place at 250-350 degrees C for NbS2 and 225-450 degrees C for TaS2 using dichloromethane or hexanes as solvent. The niobium and tantalum sulfide films were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In order to identify possible compounds present in the aerosol mist, the solution phase reaction of [M(NMe2)(5)] and five equivalents of tBuSH in toluene at room temperature was carried out. Yellow crystals of the partially substituted tantalum thiolate [Ta(S-tBU)(2)(NMe2)(3)] were isolated. The X-ray structure of [Ta(S-tBU)(2)(NMe2)(3)] has been determined. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005).