Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) of AlN Thin Films onto a Si Substrate
Y. Zhang, W. Fan, H.Q. Du and Y.W. Zhao
AlN thin films were deposited on a Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a KrF excimer laser. The suitable conditions, laser beam energy density of the laser beam and temperature of substrate were thoroughly investigated. The microstructure and phase composition of the AlN thin films were investigated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the crystallinity and morphology of the AlN thin films strongly depend on the laser beam energy density and temperature of substrate. The morphology observation showed that the AlN thin films becomes rough with increasing the laser beam energy density and temperature. Besides, the AlN thin films particles are easier to be crystallized with the increment of the temperature. AlN (002) phase appeared with increasing the laser beam energy density and temperature to a suitable value and the microstructure showed that the AlN thin films fabricated under the temperature of 773 K was much flatter than the one deposited under 1073 K.
Keywords: KrF excimer laser, AlN thin film, aluminium nitride, silicon, Si, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), microstructure, phase, energy density, temperature