Cubic Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N solid solution thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputter epitaxy onto ScN(111)

Journal Article · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3132862· OSTI ID:21352226

Hoeglund, Carina; Bareno, Javier; Birch, Jens; Hultman, Lars ^[1]; Alling, Bjoern ^[2]; Czigany, Zsolt ^[3]

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1. Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Thin Film Physics Division, Linkoeping University, S-581 83 Linkoeping (Sweden)
2. Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Theory and Modeling Division, Linkoeping University, S-581 83 Linkoeping (Sweden)
3. Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary)

Reactive magnetron sputter epitaxy was used to deposit thin solid films of Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N (0<=x<=1) onto MgO(111) substrates with ScN(111) seed layers. Stoichiometric films were deposited from elemental Sc and Al targets at substrate temperatures of 600 deg. C. The films were analyzed by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, elastic recoil detection analysis, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Results show that rocksalt structure (c)-Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N solid solutions with AlN molar fractions up to approx60% can be synthesized. For higher AlN contents, the system phase separates into c- and wurtzite structure (w)-Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N domains. The w-domains are present in three different orientations relative to the seed layer, namely, Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N(0001)||ScN(111) with Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N[1210]||ScN[110], Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N(1011)||ScN(111) with Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N[1210]||ScN[110], and Sc{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N(1011)||ScN(113). The results are compared to first-principles density functional theory calculations for the mixing enthalpies of c-, w-, and zinc blende Sc{sub 0.50}Al{sub 0.50}N solid solutions, yielding metastability with respect to phase separation for all temperatures below the melting points of AlN and ScN.

• OSTI ID: 21352226
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 105, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3132862; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM NITRIDES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DENSITY FUNCTIONAL METHOD
EPITAXY
LAYERS
MAGNESIUM OXIDES
MAGNETRONS
MELTING POINTS
MIXING HEAT
PIEZOELECTRICITY
RUTHERFORD BACKSCATTERING SPECTROSCOPY
SCANDIUM NITRIDES
SOLID SOLUTIONS
SPUTTERING
STOICHIOMETRY
SUBSTRATES
THIN FILMS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ZINC SULFIDES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCULATION METHODS
CHALCOGENIDES
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTAL GROWTH METHODS
DIFFRACTION
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRICITY
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ENTHALPY
EQUIPMENT
FILMS
HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES
INORGANIC PHOSPHORS
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MICROSCOPY
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
MICROWAVE TUBES
MIXTURES
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PNICTIDES
SCANDIUM COMPOUNDS
SCATTERING
SOLUTIONS
SPECTROSCOPY
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
VARIATIONAL METHODS
ZINC COMPOUNDS