For the direct growth of free-standing, three-dimensional metal nanostructures the method focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) can be used. This chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process is conducted in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) where the energy provided by electron beam serves as the pen, with volatile precursors acting as ink, i.e. metal sources, enabling the writing with various metals including Ag, Au, Co, Fe and W. [1-5]
The purity of the deposit depends strongly on the precursor chemistry. Generally, a low carbon content in the metalorganic compound is preferred to maximize the metal content in the nanostructure. Carbonyl groups are known to easily eject under electron irradiation while cyclopentadienyl ligands were found to be poor leaving groups [5]. As consequence [(η3‑allyl)Ru(CO)3Br] was successfully introduced into the FEBID community as alternative to [(EtCp)2Ru] yielding a metal purity of 83% after forming gas treatment [2].
The versatile precursor [(η3‑allyl)Ru(CO)3Br] can also be used for photo assisted CVD where the decomposition is induced by UV light. This low temperature process allows the growth of Ru on organic surfaces like self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and polymers [6-7].
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MOCVD, CVD & ALD Precursors Booklet