Bias in bonding behavior among boron, carbon, and nitrogen atoms in ion implanted a-BN, a-BC, and diamond like carbon films

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3638129· OSTI ID:22038736

Genisel, Mustafa Fatih; Uddin, Md Nizam; Say, Zafer; Bengu, Erman ^[1]; Kulakci, Mustafa; Turan, Rasit ^[2]; Gulseren, Oguz ^[3]

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1. Department of Chemistry, Bilkent University, Ankara, 06800 (Turkey)
2. Department of Physics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 06531 (Turkey)
3. Department of Physics, Bilkent University, Ankara, 06800 (Turkey)

In this study, we implanted N{sup +} and N{sub 2}{sup +} ions into sputter deposited amorphous boron carbide (a-BC) and diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films in an effort to understand the chemical bonding involved and investigate possible phase separation routes in boron carbon nitride (BCN) films. In addition, we investigated the effect of implanted C{sup +} ions in sputter deposited amorphous boron nitride (a-BN) films. Implanted ion energies for all ion species were set at 40 KeV. Implanted films were then analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The changes in the chemical composition and bonding chemistry due to ion-implantation were examined at different depths of the films using sequential ion-beam etching and high resolution XPS analysis cycles. A comparative analysis has been made with the results from sputter deposited BCN films suggesting that implanted nitrogen and carbon atoms behaved very similar to nitrogen and carbon atoms in sputter deposited BCN films. We found that implanted nitrogen atoms would prefer bonding to carbon atoms in the films only if there is no boron atom in the vicinity or after all available boron atoms have been saturated with nitrogen. Implanted carbon atoms also preferred to either bond with available boron atoms or, more likely bonded with other implanted carbon atoms. These results were also supported by ab-initio density functional theory calculations which indicated that carbon-carbon bonds were energetically preferable to carbon-boron and carbon-nitrogen bonds.

• OSTI ID: 22038736
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 110; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BORON CARBIDES
BORON NITRIDES
CARBON IONS
CARBON NITRIDES
CHEMICAL BONDS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DENSITY FUNCTIONAL METHOD
DEPOSITION
DIAMONDS
INDIUM IONS
ION BEAMS
ION IMPLANTATION
NITROGEN IONS
RESOLUTION
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SPUTTERING
THIN FILMS
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY