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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were prepared by ion-beam assisteddeposition method, and the influence of the nitrogen ion beam energy ontheir microstructure and mechanical properties was studied by changing theion beam energy from 0.1 to 1.5 keV. Films prepared with a low-energy ionbeam show a columnar structure, while films prepared with a high-energy ionbeam show a granular structure. The film hardness is found to decrease withincreasing nitrogen ion beam energy. It is also found that the film hardnessdoes not change drastically after annealing in nitrogen atmosphere at 500°C, yielding the residual stress relaxation. It is proposed that the filmhardness is dependent on the film microstructure, which can be controlledwith the nitrogen ion beam energy, rather than the residual stress in thefilms.