Frustrated Lewis Pair Chelation as a Vehicle for Low‐Temperature Semiconductor Element and Polymer Deposition

Abstract The stabilization of silicon(II) and germanium(II) dihydrides by an intramolecular Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP) ligand, PB , i Pr 2 P(C 6 H 4 )BCy 2 (Cy=cyclohexyl) is reported. The resulting hydride complexes [PB{SiH 2 }] and [PB{GeH 2 }] are indefinitely stable at room temperature, yet can deposit films of silicon and germanium, respectively, upon mild thermolysis in solution. Hallmarks of this work include: 1) the ability to recycle the FLP phosphine‐borane ligand ( PB ) after element deposition, and 2) the single‐source precursor [PB{SiH 2 }] deposits Si films at a record low temperature from solution (110 °C). The dialkylsilicon(II) adduct [PB{SiMe 2 }] was also prepared, and shown to release poly(dimethylsilane) [SiMe 2 ] n upon heating. Overall, this study introduces a “closed loop” deposition strategy for semiconductors that steers materials science away from the use of harsh reagents or high temperatures.