Abstract
This paper discusses the deposition of indium nitride (InN) thin films on Si (100) substrates by using pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. Effects of varying sputtering power and Ar-N-2 flow ratio on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of indium nitride (InN) films were investigated. The structural characterization indicated nanocrystalline InN film with preferred orientation towards (101) plane that exhibited the optimum crystalline quality at 130 W and for 40:60 Ar-N-2 ratio. The surface morphology of InN, as observed through FESEM, contained irregularly shaped nanocrystals with size that increases with higher sputtering power and Ar:N-2 flow ratio. The optical properties of InN films were studied using ellipsometer at room temperature. The band gap of InN was decreased with the increase of sputtering power to 130 W, whereas an increase in the band gap was noticed with the increase of the Ar:N-2 flow ratio.