Process for growing a thin metallic film

Claim 1

A thermal chemical vapor deposition process for growing a smooth metallic film of copper or gold on a substrate, the process comprising: (a) providing a starting material composed of a β-ketonato type metal complex of gold or copper in a container provided with heating means to evaporate the starting material; (b) preparing a carrier gas mixture which is composed of hydrogen as a reducing gas and at least one electron donating substance which bonds with the starting material by donating an electron to the starting material to form a molecular compound which is a hydrate or an alcoholate; (c) passing a flow of the carrier gas mixture through the starting material contained in the heated container, which heated container is connected with a reaction chamber, to form the molecular compound in situ immediately before the molecular compound is supplied to the reaction chamber; (d) introducing the flow of the carrier gas carrier mixture which includes the molecular compound immediately into the reaction chamber and onto a surface of a heated substrate disposed in the reaction chamber, said surface being at least partially covered with metal; and (e) depositing a smooth metallic film of gold or copper onto metal portions of the surface of the substrate by thermally decomposing the molecular compound and any remaining starting material under temperature conditions effective for such thermal decomposition.