Relationship between residual stress and structural properties of AlN films deposited by r.f. reactive sputtering

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 435; no. 1; pp. 193 - 198
• Main Authors: Lee, Si-Hyung, Hyun Yoon, Ki, Cheong, Deok-Soo, Lee, Jeon-Kook
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01.07.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: AlN; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition by sputtering; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Microstructure; Nitrogen concentration; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma applications; Sputtering; Stress; Nitrogen concentration; AlN; Microstructure; Sputtering; Stress; Inorganic compounds; AIN; Operating mode; Polycrystals; Residual stresses; Crystal growth from vapors; Experimental study; Fabrication property relation; Thin films; Magnetrons; Compressive stress; Aluminium nitrides; Reactive sputtering; Fabrication structure relation
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/S0040-6090(03)00353-5

A systematic study of the stress and structural properties of AlN was done as a function of the deposition parameters such as sputtering pressure, target to substrate distance, and nitrogen concentration. As the nitrogen concentration ( C N 2 ) decreased, the total pressure ( P) and target to substrate distance ( d) increased, the residual stress was changed from compressive to tensile stress. The correlation between stress and sputtering conditions was deduced as Pd/ C N 2 dependency from experimental results. The microstructure of AlN films was also varied by the stress with a little change in crystal orientation. It was found that the compressive stress of AlN films originated from the excess nitrogen content and small-entrapped argon gas by the Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analysis.