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TEM and AFM studies of aluminium nitride films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

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Abstract

Aluminium nitride (AlN) films were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation of poly-AlN target on Si(100) substrates using a KrF* excimer laser source (λ = 248 nm, τFWHM ≤ 25 ns), with incidence laser fluence of ~ 3 J/cm2 and laser pulse repetition frequencies (LPF) of 3, 10 and 40 Hz, respectively. The depositions were performed in nitrogen pressure of 0.1 Pa and at substrate temperatures of 450 and 800 °C. The AlN structures were studied by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared reflectance (FTIR) spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurements. The results show that at 450 °C and LPF of 3 Hz the AlN film is entirely amorphous, while at LPF of 10 and 40 Hz nanocrystallites with h-AlN phase appear in the grown films. At 800 °C, well-textured h-AlN nanocrystallites with columnar grains are formed. Growth of nanocrystallites in the 450 °C AlN films, similar to films grown at 800 °C, is possible when the films are deposited onto a high-temperature AlN “seed” layer, as they follow the columnar structure but with small-sized crystallites and a weaker texturing. AFM imaging reveals increasing surface roughness with the degree of crystallinity in the synthesized films. The structural changes are well correlated with the variation in the optical parameters registered by FTIR and SE.

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Acknowledgements

All authors acknowledge with thanks the support of this work under the 2015–2017 Collaboration Agreement between the Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian Academies of Sciences. ZsF and PP gratefully acknowledge the support from Hungarian OTKA K115852 Grant. LD and INM acknowledge with thanks the support of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS‒UEFISCDI, under the Project No. PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-1570 (Contract No. 108/2015) and Core Programme-Contract 4N/2016, respectively. MA and MG acknowledge EU (ERDF) for the acquisition of the research infrastructure under POS-CCE O 2.2.1 project INFRANANOCHEM—Nr. 19/01.03.2009. KA and ASz acknowledge the European Regional Development Fund, Ministry of Economy of Bulgaria, Operational Programme “Development of the Competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy” 2007–2013, Contract No BG161PO003-1.2.04-0027-С0001 and the partial support from the EU 7FP Project INERA under the contract REGPOT 316309.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Energy Research, Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Konkoly Thege Miklos u. 29-33, Budapest, 1121, Hungary

    Zs. Fogarassy & P. Petrik

  2. National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, 077125, Magurele, Romania

    L. Duta & I. N. Mihailescu

  3. Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021, Bucharest, Romania

    M. Anastasescu & M. Gartner

  4. Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzarigradsko Chaussee 72, 1784, Sofia, Bulgaria

    K. Antonova & A. Szekeres

Authors
  1. Zs. Fogarassy
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  2. P. Petrik
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  3. L. Duta
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  4. I. N. Mihailescu
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  6. M. Gartner
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  7. K. Antonova
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Correspondence to P. Petrik or L. Duta.

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Fogarassy, Z., Petrik, P., Duta, L. et al. TEM and AFM studies of aluminium nitride films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition. Appl. Phys. A 123, 756 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-017-1296-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-017-1296-4

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