Abstract Regarding deep-ultraviolet optical device applications, face-to-face annealed sputter-deposited AlN (FFA Sp-AlN) is a promising alternative to the conventional metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE)-prepared templates on sapphire substrates. However, FFA Sp-AlN tends exhibit AlGaN growth-related hillock generation and surface morphology deterioration. In this study, we optimized sput...