Growth and properties of YAlO film synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering

YAlO films are synthesized on (1 0 0)-oriented Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method. Al2O3 wafer is used as a target material, and some small pieces of Y bulk material are put on the Al2O3 target to synthesize YAlO films. Y composition ratio is varied from 0 to 34%. Amorphous YAlO films are characterized. An electrical resistivity as high as 3.4 × 1014 Ω-cm is achieved for the YAlO film with Y composition ratio of 10%. The dielectric constant increases with increasing Y composition ratio, and the YAlO film with Y composition ratio of 34% has a dielectric constant of 10.2. The bandgap energy of the YAlO film is suggested to be wider than 6.5 eV. YAlO films with a surface roughness of 0.4–1.3 nm are obtained irrespective of the Y composition ratio.