THE GROWTH-MECHANISM OF (10(1)OVER-BAR-0) ORIENTED ALN THIN-FILMS BY LOW-FREQUENCY PLASMA-ENHANCED METALORGANIC CHEMICAL VAPOR-DEPOSITION PROCESS

Based on the experimental results of deposition of AlN thin films by using plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (PEMOCVD) with TMAl and NH3 as reactants and different glow dischange frequencies (35 kHz, 110 kHz, 440 kHz and 13.56 MHz), a surface kinetic growth model was proposed to describe the deposition process mechanisms. The (1010BAR) oriented growth of AlN thin films in low frequency plasma systems as well as other experimental results both from this work and from the literature can be well explained by the model associated with additional consideration of the effect of plasma excitation and bombardment of energetic ions on the growing surface. It is supposed to be valid in other similar chemical vapour deposition (CVD) systems.