Facile and economical synthesis of nitrogen-rich tantalum nitrides via an ammonia looping process under confined space

Semiconductive nitrogen-rich tantalum nitrides including Ta4N5 and Ta3N5 are successfully synthesized via an ammonia looping process by space-confined thermal decomposition of a unique Ta-(NCNH2)(x) precursor. This novel approach not only breaks the limit of requiring small-sized tantalum precursors but also considerably reduces ammonia usage in comparison to conventional nitridation methods (0.9 liter vs. 36 liters).