• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.138-143
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• 2015

Aluminum nitride, a compound semiconductor, has a Wurtzite structure; good material properties such as high thermal conductivity, great electric conductivity, high dielectric breakdown strength, a wide energy band gap (6.2eV), a fast elastic wave speed; and excellent in thermal and chemical stability. Furthermore, the thermal expansion coefficient of the aluminum nitride is similar to those of Si and GaAs. Due to these characteristics, aluminum nitride can be applied to electric packaging components, dielectric materials, SAW (surface acoustic wave) devices, and photoelectric devices. In this study, we surveyed the crystallization and preferred orientation of AlN thin films with an X-ray diffractometer. To fabricate the AlN thin film, we used the magnetron sputtering method with $N_2$, NH3 and Ar. According to an increase in the partial pressures of $N_2$ and $NH_3$, Al was nitrified and deposited onto a substrate in a molecular form. When AlN was fabricated with $N_2$, it showed a c-axis orientation and tended toward a high orientation with an increase in the temperature. On the other hand, when AlN was fabricated with $NH_3$, it showed a-axis orientation. This result is coincident with the proposed mechanism. We fabricated AlN thin films with an a-axis orientation by controlling the sputtering electric power, $NH_3$ pressure, deposition speed, and substrate temperature. According to the proposed mechanism, we also fabricated AlN thin films which demonstrated high a-axis and c-axis orientations.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.567-577
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• 2019

Aluminum nitride (AlN) has versatile and intriguing properties, such as wide direct bandgap, high thermal conductivity, good thermal and chemical stability, and various functionalities. Due to these properties, AlN thin films have been applied in various fields. However, AlN thin films are usually deposited by high temperature processes like chemical vapor deposition. To further enlarge the application of AlN films, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been studied as a method of AlN thin film deposition at low temperature. In this mini review paper, we summarize the results of recent studies on AlN film grown by thermal and plasma enhanced ALD in terms of processing temperature, precursor type, reactant gas, and plasma source. Thermal ALD can grow AlN thin films at a wafer temperature of $150{\sim}550^{\circ}C$ with alkyl/amine or chloride precursors. Due to the low reactivity with $NH_3$ reactant gas, relatively high growth temperature and narrow window are reported. On the other hand, PEALD has an advantage of low temperature process, while crystallinity and defect level in the film are dependent on the plasma source. Lastly, we also introduce examples of application of ALD-grown AlN films in electronics.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.240-245
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• 2007

AlN thin film for SAW filter application was deposited on (100) silicon, sapphire, $Si_{3}N_{4}$/Si, and $Al_{2}O_{3}$/Si substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering method, respectively. The structural characteristics were dependent on the structure of substrates. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) have been used to analyze structural properties and preferred orientation of AlN thin films. Preferred orientation and SAW characteristic of AlN were improved by insertion of $Al_{2}O_{3}$ buffer layer. Insertion loss of SAW devices using AlN/Si and AlN/$Al_{2}O_{3}$/Si were about 33.27 dB and 30.20 dB, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.458-462
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• 2008

In this paper, we investigated the (002) preferred orientation and morphology characteristics of AlN thin film by using reactive rf sputtering. Additionally, AlN thin films grown in the range from 150 to 300 W were studied under room temperature without substrate heating and post annealing. Sputtered AlN thin films were well grown on Si substrates and the (002) main peak in XRD patterns showed the highest intensity at 300 W with $0.25^{\circ}$ degree of full width at half-maximum (FWHM). As increased RF power, the surface roughness was increased from 1.0 to 3.4 nm. In Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), $A_1$ (TO) and $E_1$ (TO) mode closed to AlN thin film confirmed the changes with increasing the intensity rate. From these results, we could confirm a chance of the growth of AlN thin film by only low temperature.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.119-124
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• 2013

Nano-multilayered, crystalline AlTiSiN thin films were deposited on WC-TiC-Co substrates by the cathodic arc plasma deposition. The deposited film consisted of wurtzite-type AlN, NaCl-type TiN, and tetragonal $Ti_2N$ phases. Their oxidation characteristics were studied at 800 and $900^{\circ}C$ for up to 20 h in air. The WC-TiC-Co oxidized fast with large weight gains. By contrast, the AlTiSiN film displayed superior oxidation resistance, due mainly to formation of the ${\alpha}-Al_2O_3$-rich surface oxide layer, below which an ($Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2$, $SiO_2$)-intermixed scale existed. Their oxidation progressed primarily by the outward diffusion of nitrogen, combined with the inward transport of oxygen that gradually reacted with Al, Ti, and Si in the film.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.248-255
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• 2012

AlN thin films containing various amounts of Co, AlN-Co, and Al-Co alloy particles were prepared using a two-facing-target type dc reactive sputtering (TFTS) system. The as-deposited films exhibited the variable nature expected from an AlN-rich phase, and an amorphous-like phase, depending on the Co content in the films. Specific favorable microstructures were prepared by optimizing annealing conditions. Those microstructures and their magnetic properties and resistivity were investigated. As-deposited films showed very small saturation magnetization and an amorphous-like structure. However, when annealed, the as-deposited amorphous-like phase decomposes into phases of AlN, Co and Al-Co. These annealing induced changes in the microstructure improve the magnetization and resistivity of the films. Further improvement of soft magnetic properties could lead to the material being used for high density magnetic recording head material.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.163-167
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• 2004

TiAl(La)N thin films were oxidized in vacuum of about 7 Pa to reduce the oxidation of WC-Co as a substrate. The oxidation rate constants of the thin films were quantified by an assumption of parabolic oxidation. Increasing AI content significantly decreased the parabolic oxidation rate constant. A simultaneous addition of AI and La was more effective to reduce the oxidation rate. The parabolic oxidation rate constant of $Ti_{0.66}$ $Al_{0.32}$ $La_{ 0.02}$N thin film at 1273 K showed about ten times lower than that of TiN. The addition of a small amount of La with Al induced the preferential formation of dense $\alpha$ $-Al_2$$O_3$ film in oxide film, leading to the abrupt reduction of oxidation rate.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2013

ZnO:Al thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering were post-annealed and the electrical and optical properties of ZnO:Al thin films were investigated before and after anneling. We confirmed that the ZnO:Al thin film was affected by post-annealing temperature. As post-annealing temperature increases, crystallinity and transmittance in visible area (400~800 nm) of ZnO:Al thin films decreased. While sheet resistance of thin films increased sharply with increasing to $400^{\circ}C$. This result is due to reduce of carrier concentration caused by absorption of $O_2$ or $N_2$ at surface of thin film.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.112-112
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• 2009

In this study, the effect of a long post-deposition thermal annealing(600 and 1000 $^{\circ}C$) on the surface acoustic wave (SAW) properties of polycrystalline (poly) aluminum-nitride (AlN) thin films grown on a 3C-SiC buffer layer was investigates. The poly-AlN thin films with a (0002) preferred orientation were deposited on the substrates by using a pulsed reactive magnetron sputtering system. Experimental results show that the texture degree of AlN thin film was reduced along the increase in annealing temperature, which caused the decrease in the electromechanical coupling coefficient ($k^2$). The SAW velocity also was decreased slightly by the increase in root mean square (RMS) roughness over annealing temperature. However, the residual stress in films almost was not affect by thermal annealing process due to small lattice mismatch different and similar coefficient temperature expansion (CTE) between AlN and 3C-SiC. After the AlN film annealed at 1000 $^{\circ}C$, the insertion loss of an $IDT/AlN/3C-SiC/SiO_2/Si$ structure (-16.44 dB) was reduced by 8.79 dB in comparison with that of the as-deposited film (-25.23 dB). The improvement in the insertion loss of the film was fined according to the decrease in the grain size. The characteristics of AlN thin films were also evaluated using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2004.04b
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• pp.101-104
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• 2004

In this study AlN/Al thin films were prepared at various conditions, such as $N_2$ gas flow rate $[N_2/(N_2+Ar)]$ from 0.6 to 0.9, a substrate temperature ranging from room temperature to $300^{\circ}C$ and working pressure 1mTorr. We estimated crystallographic characteristics and c-axis preferred orientations of AlN/Al thin films as function of Al electrode surface roughfness. The optimal processing conditions for Al electrode were found at substrate temperature of $300^{\circ}C$, sputtering power of 100W and a working pressure of 2mTorr. In these conditions, we obtained the c-axis preferred orientation of $AlN/Al/SiO_2/Si$ thin film about 4 degree.