AlN films deposited by MF reactive magnetron sputtering and its microstructure

Aluminum nitride(AlN) films were depodited by medium-frequentcy reactive magnetron sputtering process,and the relationships between deposition rate,surface morphology,crystalline structure and process parameters,eg.,N2 flowrate and sputtering power,were studied.It was found that the amorphous AlN films and crystalline AlN films available to preferential growth along C-axis can both be selectively obtained via readjusting the flowrate of N2 and sputtering power.With the compound AlN depostied through reactive magnetron sputtering,the rsults showed that the increase in both N2 flowrate and sputtering power is beneficial to the deposition of amorphous AlN thin films with their surface roughness reduced then smoothened.Such results is interpreted in the perspective of the growth principle of thin films.