In a general aspect, a ceramic thin film with nanotwinned regions at a tunable volume fraction is manufactured. In some aspects, a method for manufacturing a ceramic thin film on a surface of a substrate in an evacuated chamber is disclosed. The ceramic thin film includes crystalline grains; and each of the crystalline grains includes one or more nanotwinned regions. The one or more nanotwinned regions have a volume fraction in a range of 30-80% of the ceramic thin film. The ceramic thin film comprises titanium, nitrogen, and boron. A plurality of targets including a plurality of sputtering materials is prepared. A gas atmosphere in the evacuated chamber is formed. Electric power is supplied to the plurality of targets to cause co-sputtering of the plurality of sputtering materials to form the ceramic thin film with the one or more nanotwinned regions.

In a general aspect, a ceramic thin film with nanotwinned regions at a tunable volume fraction is manufactured. In some aspects, a method for manufacturing a ceramic thin film on a surface of a substrate in an evacuated chamber is disclosed. The ceramic thin film includes crystalline grains; and each of the crystalline grains includes one or more nanotwinned regions. The one or more nanotwinned regions have a volume fraction in a range of 30-80% of the ceramic thin film. The ceramic thin film comprises titanium, nitrogen, and boron. A plurality of targets including a plurality of sputtering materials is prepared. A gas atmosphere in the evacuated chamber is formed. Electric power is supplied to the plurality of targets to cause co-sputtering of the plurality of sputtering materials to form the ceramic thin film with the one or more nanotwinned regions.

A process for producing semiconductor structures comprising one of more layers of Group III/IV Compounds deposited onto a template using PVD sputtering the resulting semiconductor structures is provided according to the invention. The Group III or Group IV material may be gallium, hafnium, indium, aluminum, silicon, germanium, magnesium and/or zirconium. The anion provided by a reactive gas may be nitride, oxide, arsenide, or phosphide. The flow of the reactive gas to the vacuum chamber used to react with the sputtered Group III or Group IV target material for produce the Group III/IV Compound layer onto the template is modulated during a duty cycle during the PVD sputtering process between a target-rich condition and a reactive gas-rich condition to enhance the efficiency of the PVD sputtering process and improve the crystallinity of the Group III/IV Compound layer within the resulting semiconductor structure.

A process for producing semiconductor structures comprising one of more layers of Group III/IV Compounds deposited onto a template using PVD sputtering the resulting semiconductor structures is provided according to the invention. The Group III or Group IV material may be gallium, hafnium, indium, aluminum, silicon, germanium, magnesium and/or zirconium. The anion provided by a reactive gas may be nitride, oxide, arsenide, or phosphide. The flow of the reactive gas to the vacuum chamber used to react with the sputtered Group III or Group IV target material for produce the Group III/IV Compound layer onto the template is modulated during a duty cycle during the PVD sputtering process between a target-rich condition and a reactive gas-rich condition to enhance the efficiency of the PVD sputtering process and improve the crystallinity of the Group III/IV Compound layer within the resulting semiconductor structure.