Low temperature growth of polycrystalline InN films on non-crystalline substrates by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Abstract Indium nitride (InN) has attracted much attention due to its high electron mobility and peak electron velocity, which make it suitable for fabrication of high-speed electronic devices. In this work, we report the low temperature growth of polycrystalline InN on non-crystalline substrates by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). InN thin film is amorphous in nature during the initial growth stage. With the increasing growth cycles, the starting nuclei compete for space respectively and select orientations of crystal. After about 800–1200 cycles, the nuclei will grow on the suitable planes and the film turn into polycrystalline. The amorphous to polycrystalline transition of InN film is revealed definitively by the evolution of XRD patterns and the intensity of diffraction peaks with the growth cycles.