Li, M., Hu, K., Lin, H., Felmetsger, V., & Zhu, Y. (2022). Oxidation of sputtered AlScN films exposed to the atmosphere. 2022 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1109/ius54386.2022.9957694
Abstract:
1 µm thick highly c-axis textured Al0.8Sc0.2N films were
fabricated using Pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The
as-deposited films were exposed to the atmosphere for about one
month before characterization. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(XPS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed the
formation of an oxide overlayer on AlScN film surface, which
directly contacted to air. Reaction controlled process was
responsible for this self-limited oxidation. In AlScN film with small
grains and big portion of grain boundary, oxygen was also
detected at the grain boundaries in bulk film. The oxidation
reaction modulates AlScN film composition and surface structure,
which would pose additional challenges for the AlScN-based
device design and integration
License type:
Publisher Copyright
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council of A*STAR - Ferroelectric Aluminum Scandium Nitride (Al1-xScxN) Thin Films and Devices for mm-Wave and Edge Computing
Grant Reference no. : A20G9b0135