Amine- and phosphine-borane adducts: new interest in old molecules.

The fabrication of electrical interconnects to provide power for and communication with computers as their component complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices continue to shrink in size presents significant materials and processing compatibility challenges. We describe here our efforts to address these challenges using top-surface imaging and hybrid photoresist/self-assembled monolayer patterning approaches, in conjunction with selective electroless metal deposition, to develop processes capable of fabricating appropriate submicron and nanoscale metal features useful as electrical interconnects, as well as plasma-etch-resistant masks and metal diffusion barriers. Our efforts focus on the development of cost-effective methods compatible with a manufacturing environment that satisfy materials and process constraints associated with CMOS device production. We demonstrate the fabrication of approximately 50-nm-width features in metal with high fidelity and sufficient control of edge acuity to satisfy current industry design rules using our processes and discuss the challenges and opportunities for fabrication of analogous sub-10-nm metal features.

Selective Electroless Metallization of Patterned Polymeric Films for Lithography Applications

Electrochemical oxidation of borohydride on platinum electrodes: The influence of thiourea in direct fuel cells

Molecular orbital study on the reaction process of dimethylamine borane as a reductant for electroless deposition

Molecular orbital study on the reaction mechanisms of electroless deposition processes

The oxidation mechanism of dimethylamine borane (DMAB) as a reductant for an electroless deposition process was studied by an ab initio molecular orbital method. Two types of reaction pathways, via either three-coordinate borane molecules obtained by primary dehydrogenation reactions, or five-coordinate ones by primary additions of OH- for the oxidation of the DMAB, were examined. While the former pathway corresponds to the general oxidation mechanism of the reductant proposed by Meerakker, the present theoretical results support the latter one. Furthermore, it was clarified that an electron emission occurs when OH- adds to the four-coordinate compounds, which agrees with the Meerakker's mechanism. Results of the normal-mode analyses showed that the five-coordinate compounds are the transition states. The optimized geometries of monoanion five-coordinate molecules are nearly bipyramidal. The charge and spin-population analyses indicated that the axial bondings in the five-coordinate compounds are stabiliz...

Masaaki Onishi

Papers

Ab initio molecular orbital study on the oxidation mechanism for dimethylamine borane as a reductant for an electroless deposition process