Comparison of the Material Quality of Al[sub.x]In[sub.1−x]N at Low Temperature by Reactive RF Sputtering

Al[sub.x]In[sub.1−x]N ternary semiconductors have attracted much interest for application in photovoltaic devices. Here, we compare the material quality of Al[sub.x]In[sub.1−x]N layers deposited on Si with different crystallographic orientations, (100) and (111), via radio-frequency (RF) sputtering. To modulate their Al content, the Al RF power was varied from 0 to 225 W, whereas the In RF power and deposition temperature were fixed at 30 W and 300 °C, respectively. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal a c-axis-oriented wurtzite structure with no phase separation regardless of the Al content (x = 0-0.50), which increases with the Al power supply. The surface morphology of the Al[sub.x]In[sub.1−x]N layers improves with increasing Al content (the root-mean-square roughness decreases from ≈12 to 2.5 nm), and it is similar for samples grown on both Si substrates. The amorphous layer (~2.5 nm thick) found at the interface with the substrates explains the weak influence of their orientation on the properties of the Al[sub.x]In[sub.1−x]N films. Simultaneously grown Al[sub.x]In[sub.1−x]N-on-sapphire samples point to a residual n-type carrier concentration in the 10[sup.20]-10[sup.21] cm[sup.−3] range. The optical band gap energy of these layers evolves from 1.75 to 2.56 eV with the increase in the Al. PL measurements of Al[sub.x]In[sub.1−x]N show a blue shift in the peak emission when adding the Al, as expected. We also observe an increase in the FWHM of the main peak and a decrease in the integrated emission with the Al content in room-temperature PL measurements. In general, the material quality of the Al[sub.x]In[sub.1-x]N films on Si is similar for both crystallographic orientations.