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HREELS and density functional theory studies of ferrocene adsorption on silver(100)
Abstract
The adsorption of ferrocene (FeCp2) on the Ag (100) single crystal surface has been studied using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density-functional theory (DFT). Ferrocene has the potential to be used as an organometallic precursor for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of iron. In order to fully utilize ferrocene as a CVD source compound, a basic understanding of both the interactions of ferrocene with various substrates and the factors affecting the deposition processes is essential. The FeCp2/Ag (100) system has been chosen for study since it is an ideal model system. Ferrocene is a stable metallocene that does not require any special handling properties and silver is an unreactive metal surface that is not expected to decompose adsorbed ferrocene. This system, therefore, represents the least complicated case of metallocene-substrate interactions since most substrates more likely to be used in CVD processes will at least partially dissociate ferrocene. Achieving an understanding of factors affecting the surface chemistry of this model system represents an important first step in accomplishing control over CVD processes. One important factor is how the adsorbate is oriented. For ferrocene, adsorption with the molecular axis parallel or nearly parallel to the surface normal is preferred over an orientation where the molecular axis is perpendicular to the surface normal. In this preferred orientation, adsorption and desorption are molecular with no evidence of decomposition. Since the adsorbate orientation is a key factor, both HREELS and DFT have been used to characterize the vibrational spectrum of adsorbed ferrocene. This dissertation will describe the adsorption of FeCp2 on Ag (100) and discuss the implications the FeCp 2-Ag (100) interactions have on OMCVD processes.
Subject Area
Physical chemistry|Chemistry
Recommended Citation
Woodbridge, Cynthia M, "HREELS and density functional theory studies of ferrocene adsorption on silver(100)" (2002). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI3055297.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3055297