Influence of hydrogen and hydrogen/methane plasmas on AlN thin films

Polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films are exposed to hydrogen and hydrogen/methane plasmas at different conditions. The latter plays an indispensable role in the subsequent deposition of nanocrystalline diamond thin films on AlN. The changes of AlN properties are investigated by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies as well as atomic force microscopy. The E1(TO) and E22 phonon mode frequencies blue-shift after the exposure to plasmas. The damping constant of E1(TO) phonon, calculated from FTIR transmission spectra using the factorized model of a damped oscillator, and the width of E22 peak in Raman spectra decrease with increasing substrate temperature till the decomposition of AlN thin film becomes notable. It is proven that these changes are driven by the plasmas as annealing in vacuum does not induce them.