Growth of epitaxial thin films of scandium nitride on 100-oriented silicon

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth 2008-05, Vol.310 (11), p.2746-2750
• Main Authors: Moram, M.A., Novikov, S.V., Kent, A.J., Nörenberg, C., Foxon, C.T., Humphreys, C.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: A3. Molecular beam epitaxy; B1. Nitrides; B2. Scandium nitride; B2. Semiconducting III–V materials; B2. Semiconducting silicon; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Molecular, atomic, ion, and chemical beam epitaxy; Physics; Theory and models of film growth
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2008.01.045

A series of 100-oriented ScN films was grown under N-rich conditions on 100-oriented Si using different Sc fluxes. The ScN films grew in an epitaxial cube-on-cube orientation, with [0 0 1] ScN//[0 0 1] Si and [1 0 0] ScN//[1 0 0] Si, despite the high (11%) lattice mismatch between ScN and Si. The film grain size increases and the film ω-FWHM decreases with increasing Sc flux, but the film roughness increases. Films grown under similar conditions on 111-oriented Si resulted in mixed 111 and 100 orientations, indicating that the 100 orientation is favoured both due to texture inheritance from the substrate and due to the growth conditions used.