Preparation of {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films by electron cyclotron resonance plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition and heat annealing

Journal Article · Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, Vacuum, Surfaces and Films

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.2899569· OSTI ID:21123903

Yu, D; Lu, Y F; Xu, N; Sun, J; Ying, Z F; Wu, J D ^[1]

---

1. State Key Laboratory for Advanced Photonic Materials and Devices, Department of Optical Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

Optically transparent {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films were prepared on Si(100) substrates by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition followed by heat annealing. Oxygen plasma produced through ECR microwave discharge was used to assist reactive deposition of amorphous aluminum oxide thin films from metallic aluminum and the deposited films were then annealed in air at temperatures ranging from 500 to 1100 deg. C. The as-deposited and heat-annealed films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The as-deposited films exhibit an amorphous structure, undergo a phase transition upon heat annealing, and convert to {alpha} form of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with rhombohedral crystalline structure after annealing at 1100 deg. C. A SiO{sub 2} layer is also found to form between the aluminum oxide film and the Si substrate after the samples were annealed above 700 deg. C. Optical characterization reveals that aluminum oxide films deposited on sapphire substrates under the same deposition conditions are transparent from ultraviolet to near-infrared regions, and the transparency increases over 10% for the {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films crystallized through annealing at 1100 deg. C as compared with that of the as-deposited films.

• OSTI ID: 21123903
• Journal Information: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, Vacuum, Surfaces and Films, Vol. 26, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1116/1.2899569; (c) 2008 American Vacuum Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0734-2101
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
ANNEALING
CRYSTALLIZATION
ELECTRON CYCLOTRON-RESONANCE
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS
FOURIER TRANSFORMATION
HEAT
INFRARED SPECTRA
LASER RADIATION
PLASMA
PULSED IRRADIATION
RAMAN SPECTRA
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
SAPPHIRE
SILICON OXIDES
THIN FILMS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION