Growth of columnar aluminum nitride layers on Si(111) by molecular beam epitaxy

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. B, Solid-state materials for advanced technology Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 228 - 232
• Main Authors: Karmann, S, Schenk, H.P.D, Kaiser, U, Fissel, A, Richter, Wo
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 18.12.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: AlN; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; MBE; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Molecular, atomic, ion, and chemical beam epitaxy; Physics; Si-substrate; TEM; MBE; AlN; Si-substrate; Film; TEM; Inorganic compounds; Semiconductor materials; Growth rate; Electron diffraction; Crystal defect density; Roughness; Operating mode; Binary compounds; XRD; Experimental study; Columnar structure; Characterization; Thin films; Monocrystals; Aluminium nitrides; Molecular beam epitaxy
• ISSN: 0921-5107; 1873-4944
• DOI: 10.1016/S0921-5107(97)00168-2

Single crystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films are deposited by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) using thermally evaporated aluminum and RF-plasma excited nitrogen gas. In this paper we report on films grown on Si(111) at substrate temperatures of 800° with growth rates between 65 and 350 nm h −1. All layers consist of hexagonal and exactly c-axis oriented AlN crystals with column-like structure. For the smoothest layers surface roughness (rms) around 1 nm is obtained. In the XRD-spectra ( ω-scan) we have achieved a minimum FWHM of 0.4° (=25′) for the AlN(00.2) reflex. At maximum growth rates (350 nm h −1) for AlN a transition zone of about 200 nm is formed with high defect density compared to the subsequent growth. For lower growth rates (65 nm h −1) no transition zone exists. Application of a substrate nitridation leads to a partial loss of epitaxial relation between AlN layer and Si(111)-substrate.