A Ru(II) eta-3-allylic complex as a novel precursor for the CVD of Ru- and RuO2-nanostructured thin films

An eta-3-allylic complex of ruthenium(II) is used as a precursor for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD)of Ru and RuO2 thin films at low temperatures. The depositions are carried out on R-Al2O3 and surfaceoxidizedSi(100) in N2, N2 + H2, N2 + O2, or O2 flow to tailor the film composition from pure metal Ru toRuO2. The microstructure features of the samples are analyzed by X-ray diffraction andRamanspectroscopy,whereas their surface composition is studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surface and in-depthanalyses of the coatings are also performed by secondary ion mass spectrometry, which allows to distinguishthe composition of different coating regions along their thickness.Thesurface morphology and its dependenceon the synthesis conditions are investigated by atomic force microscopy. The electrical and optical studiesconfirm the metallic character of Ru and RuO2 films.