Enhancement of c-axis texture of AlN films by substrate implantation

Highly oriented AlN films are successfully deposited on B+ implanted Si(1 1 1) substrates in a radio frequency inductively coupled plasma (RF/ICP) system. The implanted energy and dose used for the B+ implanted Si(1 1 1) substrates are 200 keV and 1015 cm−2, respectively. The c-axis texture of AlN films can be affected by RF gun power and ion implantation. Experimental results show that the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of AlN(0 0 2) in the X-ray rocking curve measurements decreases with increasing RF gun power. The optimum condition is at 500 W, where the FWHM of the AlN films deposited on Si(1 1 1) with and without B+ implantation are 2.77 and 3.17, respectively. In average, the FWHM of the AlN films on B+ implanted Si(1 1 1) are less than those on Si(1 1 1) by a factor of ∼10%. The enhancement of c-axis of AlN films due to B+ implantation is attributed to the reduction of AlN grains. Raman spectra also suggest that ion implantation plays a role in reducing the tensile stress in AlN films deposited on B+ implanted Si(1 1 1).