Organoindium Precursor Purification by New Sorbents Based on Titanium and Zirconium Phosphates

Abstract

High purity requirements for organometallic precursors have recently become critical in the field of III–V semiconductor films obtained by chemical vapour deposition techniques. Traditional purification routes employing physical methods need to be replaced by ones which are more rapid and effective. Such a route is described in this paper. This involves the elimination of any traces of impurity by applying several combinations of sorbents. In this way, complete elimination of lithium impurities introduced during precursor synthesis has been achieved by the use of titanium or zirconium phosphate sorbents (usually used as acidic ion exchangers in aqueous media). The method also preserves the stability of the organoindium precursor which is normally extremely sensitive to moisture. A possible explanation for these observations is given.