Structural study of aluminium nitride thin film grown by radio frequency sputtering technique

Radio frequency sputtering technique was used to deposit high-quality Aluminium Nitride (AlN) on a silicon substrate. Structural parameters of deposited thin film are analyzed and reported. Structural parameters taken into account are dislocation density, crystalline size, lattice constants, and stress/strain. Deposited thin film has shown strong crystallographic orientation towards the c-axis (002) as revealed by X-ray diffraction analysis and elemental diffraction spectroscopy. Images obtained from Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) confirmed that deposited thin film was smooth and crack-free. Structural study of deposited films concludes that AlN thin films are a potential candidate for nano/micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), bulk acoustic and surface acoustic wave electronic device applications.