Ion beam synthesis of AlN nanostructured thin films

The possibility of thin AIN film formation in SiO2/Si by sequential implantation of Al and N using a plasma ion immersion implantation is reported. The ion profiles in the silicon dioxide substrate are evaluated through Monte Carlo simulations. The chemical composition and the nature of the chemical bonds are determined by Raman spectroscopy. The formation of randomly oriented nanoclusters of h-AIN is detected, without thermal annealing. The formation energies of Al-N, Al-O, Si-O and Si-N bonds are taken into consideration, in discussing the nanoclustering of the implanted species to form nanostructured AIN films.