Local epitaxial growth of aluminum nitride and molybdenum thin films in fiber texture using aluminum nitride interlayer

The authors have found the local epitaxial growth of aluminum nitride (AlN) and molybdenum (Mo) films in fiber texture, although the interface between the AlN and Mo films has different crystal symmetries. The local heteroepitaxial relationship is (0001)AlN[21¯1¯0]‖(110)Mo[1¯11]‖(0001)AlN[21¯1¯0]. The AlN films changes from nonequiaxed microstructures to equiaxed columnar structures. The authors think that the AlN interlayer is effective in decreasing the crystallization energy of the Mo electrode due to the coherent heteroepitaxial nucleation. It is interesting that the local heteroepitaxial relationship does not satisfy the criteria for heteroepitaxial growth.