UV photoactivated room temperature CVD of aluminum on functionalized self-assembled monolayers adsorbed on Au

We have investigated the selective photoactivated room temperature chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of aluminum (Al) on functionalized self-assembled monolayers adsorbed on Au. The CVD precursor employed is trimethyl aluminum (TMA). Using a deuterium arc lamp we demonstrate that the rate of the Al film growth is approximately twice that observed for nonphotoactivated Al chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using TMA. At the wavelengths employed, the photolysis of TMA leads to the dissociation of the TMA dimer to its monomer followed by successive release of methyl groups to form (CH(3))(3-x)Al. The photogenerated (CH(3))(3-x)Al species react with -OH- and -COOH-terminated SAMs but not -CH(3)-terminated SAMs. Using these reactions we demonstrate that aluminum can be selectively deposited on -CH(3)/-COOH-patterned SAMs. The possible reaction mechanisms involved in the Al film growth are discussed. These results indicate that photoactivated CVD (laser CVD) processes are suitable for the deposition of stable films of metals and other materials on organic films.