Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition from aluminum chloride (AlCl3) and an ammonia/hydrogen plasma. The most important role of the ammonia/hydrogen plasma was to act as a reducing agent to extract Cl from AlCl3 and to form AlN subsequently. The growth rate was saturated at similar to0.042 nm/cycle, and the thickness was proportional to the number of reaction cycles. Repeating this reaction cycle led to precisely controlled growth. The film properties were analyzed using Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis. The concentration of chlorine and hydrogen impurities was 0.23 and 2.01 at.%, respectively. AlN films showed good anti-oxidation properties when O-2 was annealed at 650 degreesC for 30 min. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.