Optical properties of AlNxOy thin films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

The aluminium oxynitride system offers the possibility to obtain a wide range of optical responses, by combining metallic aluminium, aluminium oxide and aluminium nitride properties, and thus opening a significant number of possible applications. The main purpose of the present work is to study the variation of the optical properties of AlNxOy thin films as a function of their composition (by varying both x and y coefficients), and the correspondent changes in their morphology and structure. The films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering, with the discharge parameters monitored during the deposition in order to control the chemical composition. The measurements reveal a smooth change of films Reflectance/Transmittance as a function of the concentration ratio of non metallic elements (O+N) to metallic Al, thus revealing the possibility to tailor the films optical properties according to the application envisaged.