was evaluated over a circular area measuring roughly 500 lm in diameter [13]. After deposition, each of the samples was inspected using an optical stereomicroscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer.
Growth of IrO 2 Films and Nanorods by Means of CVD: An Example of Compositional and Morphological Control of Nanostructures**By Reui-San Chen, Yi-Sin Chen, Ying-Sheng Huang,* Yao-Lun Chen, Yun Chi, Chao-Shiuan Liu, Kwong-Kau Tiong, and Arthur J. Carty Iridium dioxide, IrO 2 , belongs to the family of transition metal oxides that exhibit metallic conductivity at room temperature. It has been used in applications such as optical switching layers in electrochromic devices, [1] and durable electrode materials for chlorine or oxygen evolution.[2]Moreover, owing to its excellent resistance to the inter-diffusion of oxygen, as well as high thermal and chemical stability, [3] IrO 2 films serve as electrodes for high-density dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (NVFRAM), devices.[4] Related investigations have indicated that polarization fatigue of PZT ferroelectric capacitors can be effectively suppressed by using IrO 2 thin film electrodes. [5] In recent reports, IrO 2 was also used to fabricate field-emission cathodes for microelectronic devices and field-emission displays.[6]As a result of these diverse applications, there is a growing need to develop easy and reliable methods for growing IrO 2 phases, either as thin films, or in other physical forms. Various methods such as reactive magnetron sputtering, [7] pulsed laser deposition, [8] and annealing of Ir films in an O 2 atmosphere, [9] have been employed for this purpose. However, CVD, a technique that possesses several advantages including better composition control, high deposition rate, excellent step coverage, and suitability for scale-up, [10] has not yet been successfully employed for IrO 2 even though Ir thin films are normally obtained using O 2 as the carrier gas to prevent carbon iridium metal impurities from being incorporated into the deposited film. [11] Recently, the influence of O 2 partial pressure on the formation of IrO 2 using (MeCp)Ir(COD)/O 2 as the reactive gas mixture, has been discussed by Maury and Senocq. [12] In this communication, we wish to report the successful deposition of IrO 2 thin films using the cold-wall CVD method. Moreover, by optimizing experimental parameters, the formation of distinct, rod-like, aligned IrO 2 nanocrystals can be observed, with good control of growth perpendicular to the substrate surfaces. The structural composition, surface morphology, and spectroscopic properties of the resulting IrO 2 materials are discussed.The reactive mixture (CpMe)Ir(COD)/O 2 was used in CVD experiments that were conducted under three different pressure settings, 1 torr, 10 torr, and 30 torr, while deposition temperatures were separated into six settings ranging from 250 C to 500 C. The combined X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern...