Studies on high quality GaN/AlN deposited on glass substrates by radio-frequency reactive sputtering

Abstract

In this study, we employed radio frequency magnetron sputtering technology with pure gallium to deposit high-quality GaN thin films onto glass substrates. The deposition process was fine-tuned to optimize the GaN crystal quality. To further enhance the crystal quality of the GaN films grown on glass substrates, we introduced an AlN buffer layer which was also sputter deposited in the same chamber. For the reactive sputtering process, we utilized pure 6 N nitrogen as the working gas, and the thin-film deposition temperature was maintained at 600 °C. Comprehensive investigations were conducted on the GaN thin films to assess their chemical composition, structural properties, optoelectronic characteristics, and morphology. X-ray diffraction measurements of the GaN thin films revealed a crystalline phase of GaN (002) with a 2θ angle of approximately 34.2° and a full width at half maximum of 0.85°. Low-temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy unveiled a band-edge emission at 3.36 eV (369 nm) in the low-temperature photoluminescence spectrum. Our research findings conclusively demonstrate the suitability of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering for depositing high-quality GaN thin films on glass substrates. These GaN films exhibit significant potential for applications in several optoelectronic devices.