Organometallic chemistry related to applications for microelectronics in Japan

AbstractThis is meant to be a brief overview of the developments of research activities in Japan on organometallic compounds related to their use in electronic and optoelectronic devices.The importance of organometallic compounds in the deposition of metal and semiconductor films for the fabrication of many electronic and opto‐electronic devices cannot be exaggerated. Their scope has now extended to thin‐film electronic ceramics and high‐temperature oxide superconductors. A variety of organometallic compounds have been used as source materials in many types of processing procedures, such as metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), metalorganic vapor‐phase epitaxy (MOVPE), metal–organic molecular‐beam epitaxy (MOMBE), etc. Deposited materials include silicon, Group III–V and II–VI compound semiconductors, metals, superconducting oxides and other inorganic materials.Organometallic compounds are utilized as such in many electronic and optoelectronic devices; examples are conducting and semiconducting materials, photovoltaic, photochromic, electrochromic and nonlinear optical materials.This review consists of two parts: (I) research related to the fabrication of semiconductor, metal and inorganic materials; and (II) research related to the direct use of organometallic materials and basic fundamental research.