Molecular precursors to gallium oxide thin films.

The donor-functionalised alkoxides [Et(2)Ga(OR)](2)(R = CH(2)CH(2)NMe(2)(1), CH(CH(2)NMe(2))(2)(2), CH(2)CH(2)OMe (3), CH(CH(3))CH(2)NMe(2)(4), C(CH(3))(2)CH(2)OMe (5)) were synthesised by the 1:1 reaction of Et(3)Ga with ROH in hexane or dichloromethane at room temperature. Reaction of Et(3)Ga with excess ROH in refluxing toluene resulted in the isolation of a 1:1 mixture of [Et(2)Ga(OR)](2) and the ethylgallium bisalkoxide [EtGa(OR)(2)](R = CH(2)CH(2)NMe(2)(6) or CH(CH(3))CH(2)NMe(2)(7)). X-ray crystallography showed that compound 6 is monomeric and this complex represents the first structurally characterised monomeric gallium bisalkoxide. Homoleptic gallium trisalkoxides [Ga(OR)(3)](2) were prepared by the 1:6 reaction of [Ga(NMe(2))(3)](2) with ROH (R = CH(2)CH(2)NMe(2)(8), CH(CH(3))CH(2)NMe(2)(9), C(CH(3))(2)CH(2)OMe (10)). The decomposition of compounds 1, 4, 5 and 8 were studied by thermal gravimetric analysis. Low pressure CVD of 1 and 5 resulted in the formation of thin films of crystalline Ga(2)O(3).