PROPERTIES OF AlN(100) THIN FILMS PREPARED BY REACTIVE LASER ABLATION

Abstract

Aluminium nitride (100) thin films, grown on Si(100) by reactive laser ablation at low substrate temperature, have been investigated by many methods. Results show the AlN(100) films are dense and stable, with excellent (100) growth orientation and low residual stress. The intensity of the (100) diffraction peak correlates with deposition temperature and the residual stress is proportional to nitrogen pressure, but inversely proportional to discharge voltage. AlN(100) thin films retain thermal stability up to 500°C on annealing in an oxygen atmosphere. The etch rates of AlN(100) films in 85% and 0.5M NaOH increase with increasing solution temperature, and the activation energies in NaOH and H3PO4 are 36.3 kJ/mol and 23.2 kJ/mol, respectively.