Abstract: The purpose of the present work is the investigation of mechanical stress variation in the AlN films deposited by pulsedDCmagnetron sputtering under changing of substrate temperature and magnetron power. It has been revealed for the first time that the deposition of AlN films with low mechanical stresses is possible under low values of substrate temperature and magnetron power. A remarkable decrease in mechanical stresses in films from−2.5 GPa to values less than±300 MPawas found in the case of increasing the film deposition temperature from 60 °Cto 300 °C. Comparison of the data obtained by the optical method of measuring the substrate curvature and theXRDmethod showed that the stress values according to the x-ray diffraction results for films grown at low temperatures (60 °C–100 °C) are significantly higher than those measured by the optical method. This difference can be explained by an increased content of defects for low-temperature films that are shown by results of FTIR spectroscopy, where the absorbance intensity of the E1(TO) mode peak increases with temperature. At the same time, with an increase in the deposition temperature to 275 °C–300 °C, the differences between theXRDand optical data vanish, and the mechanical stresses become small enough and satisfactory for the fabrication of multilayer film bulk acoustic wave resonators.

Cite: Shayapov V.R. , Bogoslovtseva A.L. , Chepkasov S.Y. , Kapishnikov A.V. , Milekhin I.A. , Mironova M.I. , Geydt P.V.
Effect of substrate temperature on the mechanical stresses in aluminum nitride films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering
Physica Scripta. 2025. V.100. 125935 :1-9. DOI: 10.1088/1402-4896/ae2993 WOS Scopus OpenAlex

Dates:

Published online:

Dec 17, 2025

Identifiers:

≡ Web of science:	WOS:001641299700001
≡ Scopus:	2-s2.0-105033765715
≡ OpenAlex:	W4417138043

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