Physical and chemical aspects of the study of clusters, nanostructures and nanomaterials. Founded at 2009

Influence of stoichiometry of aluminum nitride films composition on the dielectric response

A.V. Solnyshkin1, I.T. Zezyanov1, O.N. Sergeeva1, S.A. Kukushkin2, M.V. Staritsyn3, S.S. Sharofidinov4, N.V. Sharenkova4, S.V. Senkevich4, I.P. Pronin4

1 Tver State University
2 Institute of Problems of Mechanical Engineering of RAS
3 NRC «Kurchatov institute» – CRISM «Prometey»
4 Ioffe Institute

DOI: 10.26456/pcascnn/2025.17.172

Original article

Abstract: The effect of non-stoichiometry of thin single-crystal layers of aluminum nitride (AlN) on their structure and dielectric properties was investigated. Thin AlN layers were grown by chloride-hydride epitaxy on a silicon substrate with a nanoscale buffer layer of silicon carbide grown by solid state substitution (SiC/Si(111)). Phase analysis of the structures was carried out by X-ray structural analysis using X-ray DRON-7 diffractometer, and the microstructure and composition of cross sections were studied using Lira3 Tescan scanning electron microscope. The aluminum nitride layers differed in composition – with strong non-stoichiometry (~ 18%) and with a composition close to stoichiometry (~ 4%). It was revealed that the increase in non-stoichiometry leads to an increase in the interplanar distance of the hexagonal (wurtzite) structure and deformation of the crystal lattice of thin layers of aluminum nitride. For non-stoichiometric films, an increase in relaxation phenomena of permittivity in the low-frequency region of the spectrum and an increase in dielectric losses by 1.5-2 times in the studied frequency range were observed as well as under the conditions of applying bias fields. It is assumed that the presence of asymmetry in the capacitance-voltage characteristics is due to a contribution of the volume-charge polarization and a change in the magnitude of spontaneous polarization.

Keywords: chloride hydride epitaxy, nano carbide silicon on silicon substrate, AlN epitaxial layers, non-stoichiometry of composition, dielectric properties

  • Alexander V. Solnyshkin – Dr. Sc., Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Tver State University
  • Ivan T. Zezyanov – 4th postgraduate student, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Tver State University
  • Olga N. Sergeeva – Ph. D., Associate Professor, Leading Engineer of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Tver State University
  • Sergey A. Kukushkin – Dr. Sc., Professor, Head of laboratory, Institute of Problems of Mechanical Engineering of RAS
  • Mikhail V. Staritsyn – Engineer of the 3rd category, NRC «Kurchatov institute» – CRISM «Prometey»
  • Shukrillo S. Sharofidinov – Ph. D., Senior Researcher, Ioffe Institute
  • Natalya V. Sharenkova – Ph. D., Senior Researcher, Ioffe Institute
  • Stanislav V. Senkevich – Ph. D., Senior Researcher, Ioffe Institute
  • Igor P. Pronin – Dr. Sc., Leading Researcher, Ioffe Institute

For citation:

Solnyshkin A.V., Zezyanov I.T., Sergeeva O.N., Kukushkin S.A., Staritsyn M.V., Sharofidinov S.S., Sharenkova N.V., Senkevich S.V., Pronin I.P. Vliyanie stekhiometrii sostava plenok nitrida alyuminiya na dielektricheskij otklik [Influence of stoichiometry of aluminum nitride films composition on the dielectric response], Fiziko-khimicheskie aspekty izucheniya klasterov, nanostruktur i nanomaterialov [Physical and chemical aspects of the study of clusters, nanostructures and nanomaterials], 2025, issue 17, pp. 172-181. DOI: 10.26456/pcascnn/2025.17.172. ⎘

Full article (in Russian): download PDF file

References:

1. Nakamura S., Mukai T., Senoh M. Candela-class high-brightness InGaN/AlGaN double-heterostructure blue-light-emitting diodes, Applied Physics Letters, 1994, vol. 64, issue 13, pp. 1687-1689. DOI: 10.1063/1.111832.
2. D. Marcon, B. De Jaeger, S. Halder, N. et al. Manufacturing challenges of GaN-on-Si HEMTs in a 200 mm CMOS fab, IEEE transactions on semiconductor manufacturing. 2013, vol. 26, issue 3, pp 361-367. DOI: 10.1109/TSM.2013.22558973.
3. Markov L.K., Kukushkin S.A., Pavluchenko A.S. et al. Thin-film LED based on AlInGaN layers grown on hybrid SiC/Si substrates, Technical Physics Letters, 2023, vol. 49, issue 8. pp. 1-4. DOI: 10.61011/TPL.2023.08.56677.19616.
4. Loeb H.P., Klee M., Metzmacher C. et al. Piezoelectric thin AlN films for bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators, Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2003, vol. 79, issue 2-3, pp. 143-146. DOI: 10.1016/S0254-0584(02)00252-3.
5. Trolier-McKinstry S., Muralt P. Thin Film Piezoelectrics for MEMS, Journal of Electroceramics, 2004, vol. 12, issue 1-2, pp. 7-17. DOI: 10.1023/B:JECR.0000033998.72845.51.
6. Tonisch K., Cimalla V., Foerster Ch., et al. Piezoelectric properties of polycrystalline AlN thin films for MEMS application, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2006, vol. 132, issue 2, pp. 658-663. DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2006.03.001.
7. Crisman E., Drehman A., Miller R., et al. Enhanced AlN nanostructures for pyroelectric sensors, Physica Status Solidi C, 2014, vol. 11, issue 3-4, pp. 517-520. DOI: 10.1002/pssc.201300513.
8. Gaur S.P., Rangra K., Kumar D. MEMS AlN pyroelectric infrared sensor with medium to long wave IR absorber, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2019, vol. 300, art. no. 111660, 13 p. DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2019.1116609.
9. Sergeeva O.N., Solnyshkin A.V., Kiselev D.A. et al. The influence of silicon substrate orientation with a buffer sublayer of silicon carbide on the growth and polar properties of thin aluminum nitride films, Physics of Solid State, 2019, vol. 61, issue 12, pp. 2386-2391. DOI: 10.1134/S1063783419120485.
10. Zukauskaite A., Wingqvist G., Palisaitis J. et al. Microstructure and dielectric properties of piezoelectric magnetron sputtered w-ScxAl1-xN thin films, Journal of Applied Physics, 2012, vol. 111, issue 9, art. no. 093527, 7 p. DOI: 10.1063/1.4714220.
11. Liauh W.J., Wu S., Huang J.-L. et al. Microstructure and piezoelectric properties of reactively sputtered highly C-axis ScxAl1-xN thin films on diamond-like carbon/Si substrate, Surface & Coatings Technology, 2016, vol. 308, pp. 101-107. DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2016.06.097.
12. Mikolajick T., Slesazeck S., Mulaosmanovic H. et al. Next generation ferroelectric materials for semiconductor process integration and their applications, Journal of Applied Physics, 2021, vol. 129, issue 10, art. no. 100901, 21 p. DOI: 10.1063/5.0037617.
13. Wall J.M., Yan F. Sputtering process of ScxAl1-xN thin films for ferroelectric applications, Coatings, 2023, vol. 13, issue 1, art. no. 54, 18 p. DOI: 10.3390/coatings13010054.
14. Hasegawa K., Shimizu T., Ohsawa T. et al. Full polarization reversal at room temperature in unsubstituted AlN, Applied Physics Letters, 2023, vol. 123, issue 19, art. no. 192903, 4 p. DOI: 10.1063/5.0174236.
15. Anggraini S.A., Uehara M., Hirata K. et al. Polarity inversion of aluminum nitride thin films by using Si and MgSi dopants, Scientific Reports, 2020, vol. 10, art. no 4369, 11 p. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61285-8.
16. Solonenko D., Schmidt C., Stoeckel C. et al. The limits of the post-growth optimization of AlN thin films grown on Si(111) via magnetron sputtering, Physica Status Solidi B, 2020, vol. 257, issue 5, art. no 1900400, 9 p. DOI: 10.1002/pssb.201900400.
17. Shin I.-S., Kim J., Lee D. et al. Epitaxial growth of single-crystalline AlN layer on Si(111) by DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2018, vol. 57, issue 6, art. no 060306, 4 p. DOI: 10.7567/JJAP.57.060306.
18. Sergeeva O.N., Bogomolov A.A., Solnyshkin A.V. et al. SEM, dielectric, pyroelectric and piezoelectric response of thin AlN films epitaxially grown on SiC/Si substrate, Ferroelectrics, 2015, vol. 477, issue 1, pp. 121-130. DOI: 10.1080/00150193.2015.1000144
19. Kukushkin S.A., Osipov A.V., Sergeeva O.N. et al. Pyroelectric and piezoelectric responses of thin AlN films epitaxy-grown on a SiC/Si substrate, Physics of Solid State, 2016, vol. 58, issue 5, pp. 967-970. DOI: 10.1134/S1063783416050139.
20. Kukushkin S.A., Osipov A.V. New method for growing silicon carbide on silicon by solid-phase epitaxy: model and experiment, Physics of Solid State, 2008, vol. 50, issue 7, pp. 1238-1245. DOI: 10.1134/S1063783408070081.
21. Kukushkin S.A., Osipov A.V. Nanoscale single-crystal silicon carbide on silicon and unique properties of this material, Inorganic Materials, 2021, vol. 57, issue 13, pp. 1319-1339. DOI: 10.1134/S0020168521130021.

⇐ Prevoius journal article | Content | Next journal article ⇒