Chemical Vapor Deposition of an Organic Magnet, Vanadium Tetracyanoethylene

Summary

We present the synthesis of the organic-based ferrimagnet vanadium tetracyanoethylene (V[TCNE]_x, x~2) via low temperature chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This optimized recipe yields an increase in Curie temperature from 400 K to over 600 K and a dramatic improvement in magnetic resonance properties.

Abstract

Recent progress in the field of organic materials has yielded devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) which have advantages not found in traditional materials, including low cost and mechanical flexibility. In a similar vein, it would be advantageous to expand the use of organics into high frequency electronics and spin-based electronics. This work presents a synthetic process for the growth of thin films of the room temperature organic ferrimagnet, vanadium tetracyanoethylene (V[TCNE]_x, x~2) by low temperature chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The thin film is grown at <60 °C, and can accommodate a wide variety of substrates including, but not limited to, silicon, glass, Teflon and flexible substrates. The conformal deposition is conducive to pre-patterned and three-dimensional structures as well. Additionally this technique can yield films with thicknesses ranging from 30 nm to several microns. Recent progress in optimization of film growth creates a film whose qualities, such as higher Curie temperature (600 K), improved magnetic homogeneity, and narrow ferromagnetic resonance line-width (1.5 G) show promise for a variety of applications in spintronics and microwave electronics.

Introduction

The organic-based ferrimagnetic semiconductor vanadium tetracyanoethylene (V[TCNE]_x, x~2) exhibits room temperature magnetic ordering and promises the advantages of organic materials for magnetoelectronic applications, such as flexibility, low cost production, and chemical tunability. Previous studies have demonstrated functionality in spintronic devices, including hybrid organic/inorganic^1,2 and all-organic spin valves³, and as a spin polarizer in an active organic/inorganic semiconductor heterostructure⁴. In addition, V[TCNE]_x~2 has demonstrated promise for inclusion in high frequency ....

Protocol

1. Synthesis and Preparation of Precursors

1. Preparation of [Et₄N][V(CO)₆]²³
   1. In a nitrogen glovebox, cut 1.88 g of sodium metal into ~40 pieces and mix with 14.84 g of anthracene in 320 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran (THF) in a 1 L three-neck round bottom flask.
      CAUTION: Both sodium metal and tetrahydrofuran are highly flammable.
   2. Stir the solution for 4.5 hr at RT under a nitrogen atmosphere until a deep blue solution of NaC₁₄H₁₀ is formed.
   3. Cool the solution to 0 °C.
   4. In a nitrogen glovebox, prepare a pink-red solution of VCL₃(THF)₃....

Results

The first and easiest method for determining if a deposition is successful is to do a visual inspection of the films. The film should appear dark purple with a mirror finish that is uniform across the substrates. If there are spots on the surface of the substrate where there is no V[TCNE]_x~2 or it is lighter in color, then this is likely due to the presence of solvents or other impurities on the substrate surface. Additionally the film should be opaque. Unless a thin film was deposited over a short ti.......

Discussion

The key parameters for V[TCNE]_x~2 deposition include temperature, carrier gas flow, pressure, and ratio of precursors. Because the chemical vapor deposition set-up is not commercially available these parameters will need to be optimized for each system. A previous study by Shima et al. revealed that the temperature has the largest impact on the sublimation rate of the TCNE precursor²⁶. The temperature can be modified both by the value set on the temperature controller and also by m.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Equipment
Nitrogen Glovebox	Vacuum Atmospheres	Omni	steps done in nitrogen glovebox can also be done in an argon glovebox
1 L three-neck round bottom flask	Corning	4965A-1L
500 ml round bottom flask	Sigma Aldrich	64678
Turbo vacuum pumping station	Agilent Varian	G8701A-011-037
Glass Stopcock	Kontes	185000-2440
Glass two way connecting tube	Corning	8940-24	Corning Pyrex(R) 105 degree Angled Tube Adapter with Two-Way 24/40 Standard Taper Joint
Coldfinger			Custom part made by OSU chemistry glass shop
Argon Glovebox	Vacuum Atmospheres	Nexus I
Hot plate stirrer	Corning	6795
Thermoeletric cooler	Advanced Thermoelectric	TCP-50
Temperature controller	Advanced Thermoelectric	TLZ10	for TE cooler
Power supply	Advanced Thermoelectric	PS-145W-12V	for TE cooler and temperature controller
Temperature controller	J-Kem  Scientific	Model 150	For heating coil
Heating wire	Pelican Wire Company	Nichrome 60
Custom glassware pieces			Made by OSU Chemistry glass shop
Vacuum pump	BOC Edwards	XDS-5	Connected to the CVD set-up
Flow meter	Gilmont	GF-2260
Micrometer valve	Gilmont	7300	Controls flow of argon over TCNE
Micrometer valve	Gilmont	7100	Controls flow of argon over  V(CO)6
Tubing	Tygon	R3603	1/8 in walls, connected between valves and meter
3-way Stopcock	Nalgene	6470	used to adjust the flow rates
Pressure gauge	Matheson	63-4105	connects to the top of Figure 1 part A
SQUID magnetometer	Quantum Design	MPMS-XL
EPR	Bruker	Elexsys
PPMS	Quantum Design	14T PPMS
Sourcemeter	Keithely	2400
Materials
Sodium metal	Sigma Aldrich	262714
Anthracene	Sigma Aldrich	141062
Anhydrous tetrahydrofuran	Sigma Aldrich	186562
Vanadium(III) chloride tetrahydrofuran complex	Sigma Aldrich	395382
Carbon monoxide gas	OSU stores	98610
Tetraethylammonium bromide	Sigma Aldrich	241059
Phosphoric acid	Sigma Aldrich	79622
Methanol	Sigma Aldrich	14262
Silcone oil	Sigma Aldrich	146153
Copper pellets			Cut from spare copper wire
Tetracyanoethylene	Sigma Aldrich	T8809
Glass slides	Gold Seal	3010
Activated Charcoal	Sigma Aldrich	242276