The production of fine metal tracks from a new range of organometallic compounds

A series of novel organometallic materials has been specifically synthesised for metal track deposition under the influence of electron beam bombardment. The materials prepared are a range of organometallic fluorides containing gold or palladium and in one case, a dimer of both metals. The organometallic materials have been deposited as a layer approximately lpm in thickness on to a range of substrates. Reduction to the constituent metals is achieved by exposure to an electron beam, giving a final metal track thickness of around 0.1 mu m. The resulting metal linewidths are determined by the diameter of the electron beam. Those described here are typically of the order of 1 mu m.