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Pulsed DC Sputtering of Highly c ‐Axis AlN Film on Top of Si (111) Substrate
Author(s) -
Iqbal Abid,
Walker Glenn,
Hold Leonie,
Fernandes Alanna,
Iacopi Alan,
Mohd-Yasin Faisal
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.202000549
Subject(s) - sputtering , full width at half maximum , materials science , substrate (aquarium) , thin film , optoelectronics , surface roughness , crystal (programming language) , composite material , nanotechnology , oceanography , geology , computer science , programming language
Herein, pulsed DC sputtering of the AlN film on top of the Si (111) substrate is reported on. First, major articles on the reactive sputtering of AlN film on top of Si (111) substrate that were published in the past 30 years are tabulated. Then, a sputtering recipe to produce a consistent and high‐crystal‐quality (as measured by the full width at half maximum [FWHM] of rocking curve) AlN film across varying substrate temperatures (250–450 °C) and sputtering powers (1200–2400 W) is proposed. In addition, the influence of both parameters to in‐plane stress is demonstrated, in agreement with similar trends that have been reported in the literature for AlN films on other substrates. The best sample is produced at a substrate temperature of 350 °C and sputtering power of 1800 W, resulting in FWHM of rocking curve of 1.84°, surface roughness of 1 nm, and in‐plane stress of +300 MPa. The recipe herein is beneficial for integration of AlN thin film in complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor and micro‐electromechanical system processes.