Chapter 8
Tuneable Properties of Aluminium Oxynitride Thin Films
Joel Borges, Nuno P. Barradas, Eduardo Alves, Nicolas Martin, Marie-France Beaufort, Sophie Camelio, Dominique Eyidi, Thierry Girardeau, Fabien Paumier, Jean-Paul Rivière, Filipe Vaz and Luis Marques
Abstract
In this subchapter is discussed some characteristics and properties of AlO
xN
y thin films produced by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. The films were deposited using Ar as working gas and a reactive gas mixture of N
2+O
2 (17:3). The reactive gas flow was varied in order to produce a wide range of chemical compositions. Sub-stoichiometric AlO
xN
y films, with C
O+N/C
Al atomic ratios up to 0.85 were produced, with Al-type crystalline structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra suggests that the films are a percolating network, composed by aluminium nanocrystals with different shapes and sizes embedded in an oxide/nitride matrix. The particular composition, structure and morphology of the films results in very different electrical properties, which can be explained using a tunnel barrier conduction mechanism for the electric charge transport, as well as distinct optical responses, such as an unusual large broadband absorption for some films.
Total Pages: 195-229 (35)
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