Impact of the substrate dependent polarity distribution in c-axis oriented AlN thin films on the etching behaviour and the piezoelectric properties

In this work, the influence of substrate properties on the polarization of highly c-axis oriented aluminium nitride (AlN) thin films and as a consequence, on the piezoelectric properties and the wet-chemical etching behaviour is investigated. Therefore, 620 nm thin AlN layers are simultaneously sputter-deposited under nominal unheated substrate conditions on silicon (Si) substrates or on those covered with a sputter-deposited titanium (Ti) film. After wet-chemically etching in a phosphorous acid based solution at 80 °C different residues of AlN remain. Wet-chemical etching of AlN films deposited on Ti results in a high film porosity. In contrast, AlN layers on Si are either hardly attacked or the complete thin film is removed except some remaining conical shaped residues. Furthermore, we demonstrate a change in the measured electro-mechanical properties with changing maximum deposition temperature caused by a self-heating effect of the substrate during the AlN deposition process. The change in piezoelectric properties and the differing etching behaviour is caused by a change in polarity within the AlN layer. These domains are visualized by piezoresponse force microscopy measurements, and are in good agreement with the observed etching results. For layers with mixed polarization, the absolute values of the piezoelectric constant d33 are reduced due to the counteraction of piezoelectric domains with opposite polarization.