Argon ion beam voltage in a dual ion beam sputtering system influence on the aluminum nitride films microstructure

The aluminum nitride (AlN) film has been successfully prepared at argon ion beam voltages ranging from 600 to 1200 V in the dual ion beam sputtering system. The AlN film had the (0 0 2) preferred orientation at 800 V and then changed to AlN (1 0 0) above 1000 V. Moreover, the nano-grain size presented in AlN film was observed using TEM. The Al-2p3/2 and N-1s spectra were, respectively, centered at 74.2±0.2 eV and 397.4±0.2 eV at all voltages, which indicated the formation of Al-N bond. Furthermore, the Al concentration decreased monotonically with argon ion beam voltages. The stoichiometric AlN films can be synthesized around 960 V in the present study. The microstructure changes associated with argon ion beam voltages are also discussed.