Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T09:15:00.011Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Aluminum nitride films synthesized by dual ion beam sputtering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2004

Sheng Han
Affiliation:
Department of Finance, National Taichung Institute of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan 404, Republic of China
Hong-Ying Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Life Science, Taichung Healthcare and Management University, Taichung County, Taiwan 413, Republic of China
Chih-Hsuan Cheng
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan 402, Republic of China
Jian-Hong Lin
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300, Republic of China
Han C. Shih*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan 402, Republic of China; and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300, Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Aluminum nitride films were deposited by varying the voltages of argon ion beams from 400 to 1200 V in dual ion beam sputtering. The crystal structure, microstructure, and elemental distributions of the aluminum nitride films were analyzed by x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy, respectively. The aluminum nitride films exhibited the 〈002〉 preferred orientation at an optimal ion beam voltage of 800 V. The orientation changed to a mixture of {100} and {002} planes above 800 V, accounting for radiation damage. The thickness of the film increases with increasing ion beam voltage, reaching a steady state value of 210 nm at an ion beam voltage of 1200 V. Under optimal condition (800 V), the c-axis orientation of the aluminum nitride 〈002〉 film was obtained with a dense and high-quality crystal structure.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1Strite, S. and Morkoc, H.: GaN, AlN and InN a review. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 10, 1237 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Wang, X., Kolitsch, A., Prokert, F. and Möller, W.: Ion-beam-assisted deposition of AlN monolithic films and Al/AlN multilayers: A comparative study. Surf Coat. Technol. 103/104, 334 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Engelmark, F., Fucntes, G., Katardjiev, I.V., Harsta, A., Smith, U. and Berg, S.: Synthesis of highly oriented piezoelectric AlN films by reactive sputter deposition. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 18, 1609 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Wauk, M.T. and Winslow, D.K.: Vacuum deposition of AlN acoustic transducers. Appl. Phys. Lett. 13, 286 (1968).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Yim, W.M., Stofko, E.J., Zanzucchi, P.J., Pankove, J.I., Ettenberg, M. and Gilbert, S.L.: Epitaxially grown AlN and its optical band gap. J. Appl. Phys. 44, 292 (1973).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Someno, Y., Sasaki, M. and Hirai, T.: Low temperature growth of AlN films by microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition using an AlBr3-H2-N2 gas system. Thin Solid Films 202, 333 (1991).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Ohuchi, F.S. and Russell, P.E.: AlN thin films with controlled crystallographic orientations and their microstructure. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 5, 1630 (1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Rowland, L.B., Kern, R.S., Tanaka, S. and Davis, R.F.: Epitaxial growth of AlN by plasma-assisted, gas-source molecular beam epitaxy. J. Mater. Res. 8, 2310 (1993).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Norton, M.G., Kotula, P.G. and Carter, C.B.: Oriented aluminum nitride thin films deposited by pulsed-laser ablation. J. Appl. Phys. 70, 2871 (1991).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Harper, J.M.E., Cuomo, J.J. and Hentzell, H.T.G.: Quantitative ion beam process for the deposition of compound thin films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 43, 547 (1983).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Oechsner, H.: Ion and plasma beam assisted thin film deposition. Thin Solid Films 175, 119 (1989).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12 Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards, Powder Diffraction File Card 25-113, ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1996Google Scholar
13Ensinger, W.: Low energy ion assist during deposition—An effective tool for controlling thin film microstructure. Nucl. Instrum. Meth. B 127/128, 796 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Ensinger, W.: On the mechanism of crystal growth orientation of ion beam assisted deposited thin films. Nucl. Instrum. Meth. B 106, 142 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Chen, H-Y., Han, S. and Shih, H.C.: Effect of argon ion beam voltages on the microstructure of aluminum nitride films prepared at room temperature by a dual ion beam sputtering system. Appl. Surf. Sci. 228, 128 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar