Thermal cycle annealing (TCA) is introduced to accelerate the dislocation annihilation in sputter-deposited AlN films on sapphire. Compared with constant temperature annealing, AlN films processed by TCA showed lower dislocation densities, smoother surface morphology, and fewer defects generated from the AlN/sapphire interface. After optimizing the film thickness, AlN films with a thickness of 800nm, and X-ray rocking curve full widths at half maximum of 10–20arcsec (0002) and 80–90arcsec (10-12) were demonstrated, providing a simple and low-cost way to prepare high-quality AlN/sapphire templates for high-performance ultraviolet light-emitting diodes.

引入热循环退火 (TCA) 以加速蓝宝石上溅射沉积的 AlN 薄膜中的位错湮灭。与恒温退火相比，TCA 处理的 AlN 薄膜显示出更低的位错密度、更光滑的表面形貌以及更少的 AlN/蓝宝石界面产生的缺陷。优化薄膜厚度后，展示了厚度为 800nm 的 AlN 薄膜，X 射线摇摆曲线半峰全宽为 10-20arcsec (0002) 和 80-90arcsec (10-12)，提供了一种简单且低制备用于高性能紫外发光二极管的高质量 AlN/蓝宝石模板的成本方法。