A Review of Epitaxial Metal-Nitride Films by Polymer-Assisted Deposition

Polymer-assisted deposition is a chemical solution route to high quality thin films. In this process, the polymer controls the viscosity and binds metal ions, resulting in a homogeneous distribution of metal precursors in the solution and the formation of crack-free and uniform films after thermal treatment. We review our recent effort to epitaxially grow metal-nitride thin films, such as hexagonal GaN, cubic TiN, AlN, NbN, and VN, mixed-nitride Ti₁₋ₓAlₓN , ternary nitrides tetragonal SrTiN₂ , BaZrN₂ , and BaHfN₂ , hexagonal FeMoN₂ , and nanocomposite TiN- BaZrN₂ .