Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
We use tunable UV laser light in the region 200-320 nm, produced by frequency doubling the output of a dye laser for the decomposition of organometallic compounds. This method has been applied to TMA, trimethylaluminum AI(CH3)3. Only theTMA monomer absorbs UV light for λ>220nm. TMA decomposes by one-photon absorption mainly into two channels: aluminum plus organic fragments and aluminummonomethyl plus organic fragments. The ratio [A1]/[AICH3] is wavelength dependent. Finally, we present a mechanism to explain the photolysis of trimethyl compounds of group III elements (Al,Ga,In).