Structural and optical properties of AIN sputtering deposited on sapphire substrates with various orientations

AIN thin films were deposited on c-,a-and r-plane sapphire substrates by the magnetron sputtering technique.The in-fluence of high-temperature thermal annealing (HTTA) on the structural,optical properties as well as surface stoichiometry were comprehensively investigated.The significant narrowing of the (0002) diffraction peak to as low as 68 arcsec of AIN after HTTA implies a reduction of tilt component inside the AIN thin films,and consequently much-reduced dislocation densities.This is also supported by the appearance of E2(high) Raman peak and better Al-N stoichiometry after HTTA.Furthermore,the in-creased absorption edge after HTTA suggests a reduction of point defects acting as the absorption centers.It is concluded that HTTA is a universal post-treatment technique in improving the crystalline quality of sputtered AIN regardless of sapphire orienta-tion.