Vanadocene used as a precursor for the chemical vapor deposition of vanadium carbide at atmospheric pressure

Abstract From thermal behavior investigations, vanadocene Cp 2 V (Cp = C 5 H 5 ) may be proposed as an interesting precursor for chemical vapor deposition of vanadium carbide. The pyrolysis of this compound allowed us to deposit crystallized vanadium carbide on a steel substrate at temperatures down to 973 K in a cold wall reactor. Deposits were characterized by X-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis with wavelength dispersive spectroscopy. The influence on the deposition rate, grain size and composition of the deposits were investigated by varying three factors using an experimental design: the substrate temperature, the hydrogen carrier gas flow rate, and the distance between the substrate and the precursor handling crucible. The residence time of the gaseous species in the reactor was found to be an important factor, leading to a maximum of the deposition rate.