The characterization of aluminum nitride thin films prepared by dual ion beam sputtering

Aluminum nitride (AlN) films were prepared between 800 and 1200 V at 450 °C and room temperature. The polycrystalline films were deposited but textured along the (100) and (002) plane. The AlN (002) gradually decreased as the argon ion beam voltages increased at 450 °C. The AlN (002) decreased at 1000 V and then was sustained at 1200 V at room temperature. The AlN film deposited at 450 °C was thinner than that at room temperature at a given voltage, which might account for the higher mobility of the adatoms. The surface roughness decreased monotonously as the argon ion beam voltages and deposition temperature increased. The β-values steadily decreased as the argon ion beam voltages increased at room temperature, but significantly drop at 450 °C. All β-values revealed that the growth is stabilized and a texture is formed. The binding energy of the O-1s spectra was around at 532.0 eV which is attributed to the adsorbed water. The relationship between both the argon ion beam voltages and the deposition temperatures and the microstructure of AlN films is also discussed.