Single-source chemical vapor deposition growth of ZnO thin films using Zn4O(CO2NEt2)6

A novel precursor, hexakis [mu-(diethylcarbamato-O:O')] -mu(4)-oxotetrazinc, (Zn4O(CO2NEt2)(6)) (1), for the single source chemical vapor deposition (SSCVD) growth of ZnO films has been developed. The structure and chemistry of resultant films were characterized using photoemission spectroscopy and diffraction techniques as well as electron microscopy. The polycrystalline films are of relatively dense columnar structure and have preferred c-axis orientation. Their morphology is very similar to that of RF sputtered films, but with the significant difference that they do not exhibit the strain and stress usually inherent in as-deposited RF sputtered films. Film preparation using Zn4O(CO2NEt2)(6) is therefore a simple one-step process with a lower overall production temperature required to produce highquality films. Additionally, piezoelectric measurements of the films indicated piezoelectric responses close to that of single-crystalline ZnO.