Phase and microstructure investigations of boron nitride thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the visible and infrared spectral range

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.366123· OSTI ID:542157

Franke, E; Schubert, M; Neumann, H ^[1]; Tiwald, T E; Thompson, D W; Woollam, J A ^[2]; Hahn, J; Richter, F ^[3]

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1. Institute of Surface Modification, D-04303 Leipzig (Germany)
2. Center for Microelectronic and Optical Materials Research, and Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588 (United States)
3. Institute of Physics, Technical Univesity Chemnitz-Zwickau, D-09107 Chemnitz (Germany)

Spectroscopic ellipsometry over the spectral range from 700 to 3000 cm{sup {minus}1} and from 1.5 to 3.5 eV is used to simultaneously determine phase and microstructure of polycrystalline hexagonal and cubic boron nitride thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering on (100) silicon. The results are obtained from a single microstructure-dependent model for both infrared and visible-light thin-film anisotropic dielectric functions. The optical behavior of high c-BN content thin films is described by an effective medium approximation. We obtain the amount of h-BN within high c-BN content thin films. A thin oriented nucleation layer between the silicon substrate and the high c-BN content layer is demonstrated. The preferential arrangement of the grain c axes within the h-BN thin films are found to be dependent on the growth parameters. The results from the infrared and visible spectral range ellipsometry model are compared to each other and found to be highly consistent. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

• OSTI ID: 542157
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 82; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BORON COMPOUNDS
BORON NITRIDES
ELLIPSOMETRY
GRAIN ORIENTATION
INFRARED SPECTRA
MICROSTRUCTURE
NUCLEATION
PHASE STUDIES
POLYCRYSTALS
THIN FILMS
VISIBLE SPECTRA