Real time stress measurements and elastic constant of aluminum nitride thin films on Si(111)

This article addresses stress effects in sputter deposited aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films on Si(111). One of the elastic constants of AlN (C33) was measured directly. Real time stress measurements during growth of AlN thin films yield corroborating results for polycrystalline film growth and new results which indicate large intrinsic stresses during epitaxial growth of AlN on Si(111).