Structure and chemistry of the Si(111)/AlN interface

We investigate the atomic structure and the chemistry of the Si(111)/AlN interface for an AlN film grown at low-temperature (735 °C) by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. A heterogeneous interface is formed from the alternation of crystallographically abrupt and partly amorphous regions. The polarity of the AlN film, along with the projected atomic structure of the crystalline interface, is retrieved using high-angle annular dark field imaging, …