Structure and electrical properties of AlN films prepared on PZT films by the DC reactive magnetron sputtering

Aluminum nitride (AlN) films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering on the (111)-orientated Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films. The heterostructures was characterized by x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The results showed that the AlN films reasonably textured in (002) orientation and revealed good interface quality with root-mean-square values of about 7.9 nm. The scanning electron microscopy images showed that the AlN films grown on PZT layer revealed an obvious and quite uniform columnar structure, and there was a clear interface between AlN and PZT films. MIF (Metal-Insulator-Ferroelectric) structures were fabricated and electrically evaluated by C-V (capacitance-voltage) and I-V (current-voltage) measurements at high frequency (1 MHz). The results obtained from C-V curves indicated that the MIF capacitor was consistent with the traditional Al-SiO 2 -Si capacitor. The current-voltage curves of AlN/PZT heterostructure showed a good insulating characteristic.