Structural properties of AlN films grown on Si, Ru/Si and ZnO/Si substrates

Abstract The structural properties of r.f.-sputtered AlN films grown on Si, Ru/Si, and ZnO/Si substrates were investigated. From the X-ray diffraction analysis, the crystallite size, biaxial stress and standard deviation (S.D.) of the rocking curve for the AlN films are calculated. For AlN films prepared on Si substrates, a crystallite size of 205.7 A, a biaxial stress of −3.27×109 Pa and a S.D. of 5.96° were obtained. For the AlN films prepared on the Ru/Si substrates, a crystallite size of 213.4 A, a biaxial stress of −9.80×109 Pa and a S.D. of 4.05° were obtained. Likewise, a crystallite size of 293.4 A, a biaxial stress of +1.62×109 Pa and a S.D. of 1.19° were obtained for the AlN films prepared on the ZnO/Si substrates. It is concluded that the ZnO/Si substrates are the most suitable for growing AlN films, compared with the other substrates. In addition, the strong c-axis orientation of the AlN films on the ZnO/Si substrates is found to have a direct relationship with the density of the films. It is shown that the growth behavior and quality of the AlN films can be successfully controlled by lattice matching with their substrates.