Structures of AlN/VN Superlattices with Different AlN Layer Thicknesses

AlN/VN superlattices with different periods were studied using x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A phase transformation of the AlN from an epitaxially stabilized rock-salt structure to a hexagonal wurtzite structure was observed for an AlN layer thickness greater than 4 nm. A structural model is proposed on the basis of TEM results for the orientation of the transformed phase. The VN layer grown on top of the hexagonal AlN was observed to be reoriented compared to that in the stabilized B1-AlN/VN. The VN nucleated by taking the w-AlN(002) plane as its (111) plane instead of the (002) plane.