Microstructure and optical properties of cubic AlN/TiN bilayers deposited by laser molecular beam epitaxy

AlN/TiN bilayers were deposited on Si(100) substrates with varying laser pulse energy by laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) technique, and their growth mode, crystal structure and optical properties were investigated. The results indicated that atomically flat TiN single films and AlN/TiN bilayers with layer-by-layer growth mode were successfully grown on Si(100) substrates at optimal laser pulse energy. Both TiN and AlN in the grown bilayers exhibited the NaCl-type cubic structure with the same (200) preferred orientation, showing an excellent epitaxial relationship. TiN single film was more reflective in the infrared range and presented a small transparent window centered at wavelength of 404 nm. Reflectance spectrum of AlN film on top of TiN indicated the sharp absorption at about 246 nm, yielding a bandgap energy of 5.04 eV comparable to the theoretical calculation of bulk cubic AlN, but scarcely reported by the experimental data.

► AlN/TiN bilayers show atomically flat surface with layer-by-layer growth mode by LMBE.
► Cubic AlN single-crystal with larger thickness can stably exist on TiN films.
► Cubic AlN and TiN in the grown bilayers exhibit the same (200) preferred orientation.
► Cubic AlN presents a bandgap energy of 5.04 eV which is close to its theoretical value.