Metallic indium segregation control of InN thin films grown on Si(1 0 0) by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Abstract InN thin films were grown on Si(1 0 0) substrates by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). In this work, It is found that the island growth of InN on Si(1 0 0) easily happens at the initial PEALD period. The PEALD parameters have been systematically investigated to optimize the size, density, coalescence and distribution uniformity of InN grains with good crystallinity and no metallic indium clustering. Especially, indium segregation of PEALD-grown InN has a direct dependence on the deposition temperature (T), the supply of trimethylindium (TMIn) precursor and nitrogen plasma (NP) source. Based on our proposed PEALD mechanism of InN, a polycrystalline hexagonal InN thin film in the thickness of 24.2 nm has been well deposited at the growth per cycle (GPC) of 0.8 A/cycle. And it shows a (0 0 2) preferential orientation and no any structural phase of metallic indium segregation. As a result, it may provide a useful guide for deeply understanding the PEALD growth mechanism of InN and In-rich nitrides, which further extends the promising applications in high-efficiency photovoltaics and high speed electronic devices.