| Summary: | This thesis describes the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of titanium and vanadium arsenide thin films. The compounds [TiCl4(AsPh3)], [TiCl4(AsPh3)2], [TiCl4(Ph2AsCH2AsPh2)], [TiCl4(tBuAsH2)n] have been synthesised from the reaction of TiCl4 with the corresponding arsine, and they have been investigated as potential single-source precursors to TiAs. Additionally, [TiCl3(NMe2)(μ-NMe2)2AsCl] has been synthesised from the reaction of TiCl4 and As(NMe2)3, and although was thought not to be a suitable single-source precursor to TiAs due to its lack of preformed Ti-As bonds, its use a potential single-source precursor to TiN has been investigated. All synthesised compounds have been characterised using NMR, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis, and decompositional profiles studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Aerosol assisted (AA) and low pressure (LP)CVD have been used to investigate the use of the compounds as single-source precursors, with deposited films analysed by X-ray powder diffraction, wavelength dispersive X-ray (WDX) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thin films of TiAs have been deposited via the dual-source atmospheric pressure (AP)CVD reactions of tBuAsH2 with both TiCl4 and [Ti(NMe2)4]. This arsenic precursor has also been investigated within the deposition of VAs films via dual-source routes with its reaction with VCl4 and VOCl3. All deposited films have been characterised using X-ray powder diffraction, WDX, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman microscopy, and SEM, with properties such as adherence, hardness, water contact angles and reflectivity measured.
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