Hafnium Dioxide(HfO₂) thin films were deposited on glass, metal, and silicon wafer substrates using magnetron RF reactive sputtering techniques. Structure and morphology of the thin films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results revealed that the sputtered HfO₂ thin films were (111) preferred oriented with single crystalline or polycrystalline natures. The sputtering parameters, including gas flow ratios of Ar/O₂, substrate temperature, pressure, and RF power levels, were examined, and their effects on the thin film structure and properties are discussed. Transparent hafnium oxide thin films can be deposited only when the RF power is lower than a certain level, which is limited by the gas flow ratio of Ar/O₂. High substrate temperature is critical for high (111) orientation in thin films while a high gas flow ratio of Ar/O₂ is important for crystal structure and adhesion. Annealing in oxygen atmosphere following the deposition was also found to be effective in improving thin film adhesion and resistance of losing adhesion during thermal cycles. Refractive index, and electrical resistance measurements show that HfO₂ thin films deposited by RF reactive sputtering under optimized conditions have promising electrical and optical properties which deserve further study. / Master of Science

La préparation par voie Chimie Organométallique de Surface de nouveaux catalyseurs à base de hafnium supportés sur l’γ-alumine déshydroxylée à 500°C, γ-Al2O3-(500°C), a été réalisée dans ce travail de thèse. La combinaison de résultats chimiques (bilan matière, analyses élémentaires, marquage isotopique, thermolyse, réactions d’hydrogénolyse, d’oxydation, et réactions en réacteur continu), spectroscopiques (IR, RMN 1D, 2D), et des modélisation DFT ont abouti à la caractérisation et à la quantification des cinq produits majoritaires lors de la réaction de [Hf(CH2tBu)4] avec γ-Al2O3-(500°C) : un complexe monopodale (2), [(≡AlIVO) Hf(CH2tBu)3] (40%), un complexe bipodale dans deux environnements différents (4a and 4b), [(AlsO)(≡AlIVO)Hf(CH2tBu)2], (26%) et deux complexes cationiques (5 and 6) [(≡AlIVO)(AlsO)(Al-O-Al)]Hf(CH2tBu)] + [tBuCH2Als]- (Als correspond à un aluminium de surface Al III ou un AlV ) ( 34%). L’hydrogénolyse de ces complexes conduit à la formation majoritaire à 150°C de complexes monohydrures de hafnium du type :[(AlsO)3Hf-H], (70-80%) et [(≡AlIVO)(AlsO)Hf-H]+[(CH2tBu)Als]- (20-30%) caractérisés et quantifiés par la même approche expérience-théorie. Tous ces complexes sont actifs en polymérisation des α-oléfines (éthylène, propylène, isobutylène) et en copolymérisation éthylène-isobutylène. L’étude de ces réactions catalytiques a nécessité l’adaptation et la mise au point d’un réacteur en phase gaz spécifique appelé « Gas stopped flow polymérization » / New well-defined hafnium alkyl and hydrid complexes supported on γ-alumina dehydroxylatedt at 500°C, γ-Al2O3-(500°C), have been prepared. The structure of the surface complexes obtained by grafting Hf(CH2tBu)4, 1, on γ-alumina has been resolved by a combined experimental (mass balance analysis, labeling, in situ IR, NMR) and theoretical (DFT calculations) study. Thermolysis, oxidation and hydrogenolysis reactions have unambiguously proved the presence of two kinds of neopentyl-metal bonds: Hf-CH2tBu and Al-CH2tBu. Three coexisting surface complexes have been fully characterized and quantified: a monoaluminoxy- [(≡AlIVO)Hf(CH2tBu)3], a neutral bisaluminoxy [(≡AlIVO)(AlsO)Hf(CH2tBu)2], and a zwitterionic bisaluminoxy complex [(≡AlIVO) (AlsO)Hf(CH2tBu)2]+[(CH2tBu)Als]- in 40 %, 26 %, and 34 %, respectively. Hydrogenolysis reaction of these complexes leads to the formation at 150°C of [(AlsO)3HfH], (70-80%) and [(≡AlIVO)(AlsO)Hf(H)]+[(CH2tBu)Als]- (20-30%). All these hafnium alkyl and hydrides are active in α-olefin polymerization in absence of a co-catalyst

L’addition d’une liaison N-H sur une double liaison carbone-carbone, nommée réaction d’hydroamination (HA), constitue une voie efficace pour accéder à la formation de composés azotés à partir de précurseurs simples en une seule étape. Des progrès considérables ont été réalisés au cours de ces dernières années dans l’élaboration de systèmes catalytiques efficaces pour cette réaction d’intérêt sur des alcènes. Malgré tout de nombreux défis subsistent car peu de catalyseurs disposent d’un large champ d’application ou encore ils sont limités dans la catalyse de la version intermoléculaire de la réaction à la fois moins favorisée cinétiquement comme thermodynamiquement. Au cours de ces travaux le mécanisme réactionnel, d’activation de la réaction d’HA intramoléculaire, par un complexe d’yttrium a pu être déterminé suite à une étude cinétique. Cette dernière a permis de mesurer un ordre partiel en catalyseur de 1 et un ordre inverse en substrat. D’autre part, le potentiel dans la réaction d’HA de plusieurs systèmes catalytiques basés sur différents groupes de métaux a été évalué. Des complexes pinces tridentes de zirconium ou de hafnium sous forme neutre comme sous forme cationique ont montré de bonnes activités dans la réaction de cyclisation de plusieurs aminoalcènes comportant des amines primaires ou secondaires. L’utilisation d’un complexe d’yttrium a permis d’accéder à une large gamme d’arylethylamines de manière totalement régiospécifique par catalyse de la réaction intermoléculaire d’HA entre des amines secondaires faiblement encombrées et des dérivés du styrène. Ce faisant une étude structure-activité a été conduite mettant à jour une activité remarquable du complexe d’yttrium dans la réaction d’HA intermoléculaire sur la 2-vinylpyridine, ce qui a également permis de montrer une application en procédure tandem de double hydroamination. Enfin une procédure simple de catalyse de la réaction d’HA intermoléculaire sur des dérivés du styrène a pu être mise au point suite à l’utilisation d’un sel de lithium actif à température ambiante. / The addition reaction of an amine across a carbon-carbon double bond, the so-called hydroamination reaction, is one of the most efficient method for the formation of value-added nitrogen-containing compounds. During the last decade, the interest of the scientific community has led to the development of a large number of efficient catalysts for this transformation. Nevertheless many challenges remain. Indeed only a few of the reported catalysts have a wide range of applications or possess good activities in the field of the intermolecular version of the reaction, less favored both kinetically and thermodynamically. In these work the mechanism of intramolecular HA reaction catalyzed by an yttrium complex has been determined by a kinetic study. During the latter a partial order of 1 for the catalyst and a reverse order in substrate were measured. The potential in the HA reaction of several catalytic systems based on different metals was evaluated. Tridentate complexes of zirconium or hafnium in their neutral or cationic form showed good activity in the cyclization reaction of several aminoalkenes bearing primary or secondary amines. The use of an yttrium complex allowed a regiospecific access to wide range of arylethylamines by catalysis of the intermolecular HA reaction between weakly hindered secondary amines and styrene derivatives. A structure-activity study was conducted pointing the noteworthy activity of the yttrium complex in the intermolecular HA reaction with 2-vinylpyridine, which also allowed an application in a tandem di-hydroamination reaction. Finally, a simple procedure for catalyzing the intermolecular HA reaction of styrene derivatives has been developed by using a lithium salt active at room temperature.

La protection des composites carbone/carbone face à l’oxydation à très hautes températures (2000°C) est une nécessité à leur utilisation dans de nouvelles applications. Une protection composée de carbure de hafnium et de carbure de silicium a été développée lors de travaux précédents. Cette protection de surface pourrait être plus efficace une fois infiltrée à cœur du composite. Le premier point étudié lors de cette thèse est l’amélioration des connaissances sur le dépôt par CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) d’un multicouche PyC/SiC/HfC/SiC. Celle-ci passe par la détermination des variations de morphologie du HfC déposé en fonction de la température et de la pression, de l’étude des cinétiques de dépôt et de la modélisation des phénomènes thermiques, chimiques et d’écoulement présents en phase gazeuse au sein du four. Le deuxième point d’étude est axé sur l’infiltration de carbure de hafnium et de silicium par CVI (Chemical Vapor Infiltration) et par RMI (Reactive Melt Infiltration) au sein de mèches de carbone ou d’une préforme carbonée. Le dernier point d’étude est la compréhension des mécanismes d’oxydation de la protection à 2000°C sous atmosphère oxydante à différentes pressions d’oxygène. / The protection against oxidationat very high temperatures (2000°C) is required for carbon/carbon composite new applications. One composed by hafnium and silicon carbides (HfC and SiC) has been developed in previous work. This surface protection could be more effective if infiltrated in the composite.The first part of this thesis is devoted to the improvement of knowledge on CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) deposit of a multilayer PyC/SiC/HfC/SiC. Morphology variation of HfC with temperature and pressure, deposition kinetic study and modelling of thermal, chemical phenomenon and flux velocity in gas has to be determined. The second part of the study is focused on carbide infiltration by CVI (Chemical vapour infiltration) and RMI (Reactive Melt Infiltration) inside carbon tows and preform. The last part is devoted to determine the oxidation mechanism of the protection at 2000°C under oxidizing atmospheres.

Detta examensarbete beskriver optimering av ett katalytiskt protokoll för framställning av bisguaiacol F, ett ofarligt alternativ till bisphenol A. Lewissyrliga grupp IV metallkomplex med triflatligander användes som katalysatorer under milda betingelser och kinetisk analys användes för att underlätta optimeringen av reaktionsprotokollet för att öka utbyte och selektivitet för transformationen. Dessutom bidrog kinetiken med mekanistiska insikter och avslöjade att den nukleofila attacken starkt påverkar reaktionens selektivitet och utbyte. / This thesis describes the optimization of catalytic protocol for the formation of bisguaiacol F, a benign alternative to bisphenol A. Lewis acidic group IV metal complexes bearing triflate ligands were used as catalysts under mild conditions and kinetic analysis was used to aid optimization of the reaction protocol to increase the yield and selectivity of the transformation. In addition, the kinetics shed light on the operating mechanisms and revealed that competition of nucleophiles greatly impact selectivity and yield of the reaction.

Zr and Hf based MOFs with enhanced pore accessibility for large molecules and good hydrothermal stability were obtained using a bent dithienothiophene dicarboxylate and Zr4+ or Hf4+ source. A modulator (benzoic acid) facilitates formation of an eight-connecting cluster leading to a new framework which adopts reo topology. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Studies of the radiative properties of thin films and near-field radiation transfer in layered structures are important for applications in energy, near-field imaging, coherent thermal emission, and aerospace thermal management. A comprehensive study is performed on the optical constants of dielectric tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅) and hafnium oxide (HfO₂) thin films from visible to the far infrared using spectroscopic methods. These materials have broad applications in metallo-dielectric multilayers, anti-reflection coatings, and coherent emitters based on photonic crystal structures, especially at high temperatures since both materials have melting points above 2000 K. The dielectric functions of HfO₂ and Ta₂O₅ obtained from this work may facilitate future design of devices with these materials. A parametric study of near-field TPV performance using a backside reflecting mirror is also performed. Currently proposed near-field TPV devices have been shown to have increased power throughput compared to their far-field counterparts, but whose conversion efficiencies are lower than desired. This is due to their low quantum efficiency caused by recombination of minority carriers and the waste of sub-bandgap radiation. The efficiency may be improved by adding a gold mirror as well as by reducing the surface recombination velocity, as demonstrated in this thesis. The analysis of the near-field TPV and proposed methods may facilitate the development or high-efficiency energy harvesting devices. Many near-field devices may eventually utilize metallo-dielectric structures which exhibit unique properties such as negative refraction due to their hyperbolic isofrequency contour. These metamaterials are also called indefinite materials because of their ability to support propagating waves with large lateral wavevectors, which can result in enhanced near-field radiative heat transfer. The energy streamlines in such structures are studied for the first time. Energy streamlines illustrate the flow of energy through a structure when the fields are evanescent and energy propagation is not ray like. The energy streamlines through two semi-infinite uniaxially anisotropic effective medium structures, separated by a small vacuum gap, are modeled using the Green’s function. The lateral shift and penetration depth are calculated from the streamlines and shown to be relatively large compared to the vacuum gap dimension. The study of energy streamlines in hyperbolic metamaterials helps understand the near-field energy propagation on a fundamental level.

Zr and Hf based MOFs with enhanced pore accessibility for large molecules and good hydrothermal stability were obtained using a bent dithienothiophene dicarboxylate and Zr4+ or Hf4+ source. A modulator (benzoic acid) facilitates formation of an eight-connecting cluster leading to a new framework which adopts reo topology. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Ferroelectrics are theoretically an ideal solution for low write power nonvolatile memories. However, the complexity of ferroelectric perovskites has hindered the scaling of such devices to competitive feature sizes. The discovery of ferroelectricity in hafnium oxide solved this issue. Ferroelectric memories in three variants, capacitor based ferroelectric RAM, ferroelectric field effect transistors and ferroelectric tunneling junctions have become competitors for future memory solutions again. In this paper, the basics and current status of hafnium oxide based ferroelectric memory devices is described and recent results are shown.

The purpose of this project has been to expand the η8 binding mode of the permethylpentalene ligand into uranium, zirconium and hafnium chemistry. All three of these elements have shown intriguing, high-hapticity carbocyclic chemistry and, because of their relatively large size, are excellent candidates for the development of organometallic permethylpentalene chemistry. Chapter one of this thesis will review previous work on η n carbocyclic ring chemistry of these elements, where n = 6 - 8. This introduction will include the unsaturated rings systems where all the ,carbons are bonded to the metal centre, specifically η6 arene systems, η 7 cyclohept.atriene systems, and η 8 cyclooctatetraene and pentalene systems. Species of lower hapticity (e .g. the η 6 binding mode of cycloheptatriene) will not be covered but reviews, where available, will be referenced. Chapter two documents the successful synthesis and characterisation of η 8 permethylpentalene uranium (IV) species. Initially, the uranocene equivalent, UPn*2 was synthesised and characterised structurally, magnetically and electrochemically. From here, a half-sandwich synthon [U Pn*CI4][Li(TMEDA)h was synthesised which was used for further salt metathesis chemistry in order to make a number of mixed sandwich complexes. Chapter three is an account of the synthesis and characterisation of zirconium and hafnium η 8 permethylpentalene species. Initial work focused on the synthesis of a suitable synthon analogous to that used for the previously synthesised titanium species. However, this route was unsuccessful and an alternative species was formed, [MPn*(μ-Cl)3/2]2(μCl)2[Li(THF)x(Et2O)y]. This species could be made on a multi-gram scale and proved to be a sui table synthon for further synthesis. Salt metathesis reactions were undertaken and a number of new species were synthesised and characterised including mixed-sandwich, alkyl, aryl and allyl species. Chapter four reports the results of polymerisation testing that was undertaken for selected synthesised compounds. All compounds catalysed the formation of poly(ethylene), with the group 4 mixed sandwich species being particularly active catalysts. Two of the zirconium species, ZrPn*CpCI and ZrPn*Cp2 were therefore used for further optimisation experiments which were somewhat limited due to the high activity of the compounds. These were useful in gaining insight into conditions that should be investigated on a larger reaction scale. Chapter five gives the full experimental details for all the syntheses described in chapters two and three as well as details of instrumentation used for characterisation, and also gives the respective loadings of catalyst and co-catalyst employed in the polymerisation testing reported in chapter four. Chapter six presents the full characterisation data obtained for the compounds synthesised and the electronic appendix attached as a CD at the back of the thesis contains the crystal data .cif files and the DFT output files (.out). ,