Difluorosilane is a gaseous chemical compound with formula SiH₂F₂. It can be considered as a derivative of

silane Silane (Silicane) is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a colorless, pyrophoric gas with a sharp, repulsive, pungent smell, somewhat similar to that of acetic acid. Silane is of practical interest as a precursor to elemental ...

with two hydrogen atoms replaced with

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at Standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions as pale yellow Diatomic molecule, diatomic gas. Fluorine is extre ...

Production

Difluorosilane can be made by fluorinating

dichlorosilane Dichlorosilane, or DCS as it is commonly known, is a chemical compound with the formula H2SiCl2. In its major use, it is mixed with ammonia (NH3) in LPCVD chambers to grow silicon nitride in semiconductor processing. A higher concentration of DC ...

with

antimony trifluoride Antimony trifluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula SbF3. Sometimes called Swarts' reagent, it is one of two principal fluorides of antimony, the other being SbF5. It appears as a white solid. As well as some industrial applications, ...

. :3 SiH₂Cl₂ + 2 SbF₃ → 3 SiH₂F₂ + 2 SbCl₃ Some is also made in a reaction of

silicon tetrafluoride Silicon tetrafluoride or tetrafluorosilane is a chemical compound with the formula Si F4. This colorless gas is notable for having a narrow liquid range: its boiling point is only 4 °C above its melting point. It was first prepared in 1771 ...

with

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

:SiF₄ + 2 H₂ → SiH₂F₂ + 2 HF Traces of difluorosilane are made when coal is burnt.

Properties

Difluorosilane is a gas with boiling point −77.8 °C, and a freezing point of −122 °C. It has no colour. The silicon–fluorine bond length in difluorosilane is 1.358 Å which is greater than that in fluorosilane but less than the length in trifluorosilane.

Reactions

In an

electric discharge In electromagnetism, an electric discharge is the release and transmission of electricity in an applied electric field through a medium such as a gas (i.e., an outgoing flow of electric current through a non-metal medium).American Geophysical U ...

, hydrogen atoms are preferentially removed from the molecule and SiHF₂SiHF₂ is formed along with hydrogen. :2 SiH₂F₂ → SiHF₂SiHF₂ + H₂ At elevated temperatures, difluorosilane can disproportionate by swapping hydrogen and fluorine atoms between molecules to form fluorosilane and trifluorosilane.

Use

Difluorosilane is used in dental varnish in order to prevent tooth cavities. Difluorosilane is also used in

chemical vapour deposition Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a vacuum deposition method used to produce high-quality, and high-performance, solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. In typical CVD, the wafer (subst ...

to deposit

silicon nitride Silicon nitride is a chemical compound of the elements silicon and nitrogen. (''Trisilicon tetranitride'') is the most thermodynamically stable and commercially important of the silicon nitrides, and the term ″''Silicon nitride''″ commonly re ...

films.

References

{{Reflist Fluorine compounds Silicon compounds Gases