Photochemistry of trimethylgallium with applications to atomic gallium reaction kinetics

The photodissociation of gas‐phase trimethylgallium at 193 nm has been investigated using the laser photolysis/laser induced fluorescence technique. Gallium atoms are produced by multiple‐photon processes during the time of the excimer laser pulse and continue to be produced at long times after the photolysis pulse. The observed dependences on photolysis laser fluence, trimethylgallium pressure, and buffer gas pressure are consistent with a mechanism in which highly excited gallium methyl radicals undergo unimolecular decomposition to produce gallium atoms. Since this process can happen on time scales long compared to the photolysis laser pulse, these results may have important implications for studies of laser deposition of thin metal films.