Structural characterization of epitaxial γ-Ta2N thin films and AlN/γ-Ta2N heterostructures on SiC substrates
Abstract
Tantalum nitride (γ-Ta2N) thin films were grown by radiofrequency plasma molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on 3 in. diameter 6H- or 4H-SiC substrates. Epitaxial characteristics of these MBE grown layers were determined using high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. HRXRD, TEM, and XRD reciprocal space map measurements show that γ-Ta2N on SiC grows pseudomorphically and stabilizes to a nearly pure γ-Ta2N phase. Structural properties of these layers are uniform across the 3 in. wafer diameter. Measured a and c lattice parameter values of a 43 nm thick γ-Ta2N film on 6H-SiC are 3.079 and 4.898 Å, respectively, and the film has an in-plane tensile strain of 1.03%. MBE growth of AlN/ γ-Ta2N /SiC heterostructures has also been demonstrated. Measured lattice a and c constants of AlN on γ-Ta2N /SiC are 3.120 and 4.974 Å, respectively. TEM and XRD show that SiC substrate and γ-Ta2N films have parallel epitaxial relation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 08, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1116/6.0002530
Entities
People
- Andrew C. Lang
- Brian P. Downey
- D. S. Katzer
- David J. Meyer
- Matt Hardy
- Neeraj Nepal
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Naval Research Laboratory