PHOTOLYTIC DEPOSITION OF ALUMINUM NITRIDE AND OXY-NITRIDE FILMS AT TEMPERATURES LESS-THAN-OR-EQUAL-TO-350K

Aluminum nitride and oxy-nitride thin films have been deposited on Si( 100) substrates at temperatures of 300-350K by gas-phase excimer laser photolysis at 193 nm. The precursors used for this deposition process are trimethylamine alane and ammonia. The properties of these laser-d eposited films were studied using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, and x-ray diffraction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been extensively used to provide information regardi ng the chemical compositions on the surface and in the bulk of these l aser deposited films, as well as on the chemical states of the compone nts of the films. Well-adhering, smooth, amorphous films of AlN are ob tained at a substrate temperature of 350K using this technique.