Effect of high-temperature annealing on AlN thin film grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The effect of high-temperature annealing on AlN thin film grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition was investigated using atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and deep ultra-violet photoluminescence (PL) with the excitation wavelength as short as ～ 177 nm. Annealing experiments were carried out in either N₂ or vacuum atmosphere with the annealing temperature ranging from 1200 ℃ to 1600 ℃. It is found that surface roughness reduced and compressive strain increased with the annealing temperature increasing in both annealing atmospheres. As to optical properties, a band-edge emission peak at 6.036 eV and a very broad emission band peaking at about 4.7 eV were observed in the photoluminescence spectrum of the as-grown sample. After annealing, the intensity of the band-edge emission peak varied with the annealing temperature and atmosphere. It is also found that a much stronger emission band ranging from 2.5 eV to 4.2 eV is superimposed on the original spectra by annealing in either N₂ or vacuum atmosphere. We attribute these deep-level emission peaks to the V_AL-O_{m N} complex in the AlN material.