Phase evolution in boron nitride thin films
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States)
- High Temperature Materials Laboratory, Mailstop 6064, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6064 (United States)
Boron nitride (BN) thin films were deposited on monocrystalline Si (100) wafers using electron beam evaporation of boron with simultaneous bombardment by nitrogen and argon ions. The effect of film thickness on the resultant BN phase was investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). These techniques revealed the consecutive deposition of an initial 20 A thick layer of amorphous BN, 20--50 A of hexagonal BN having a layered structure, and a final layer of the cubic phase. The growth sequence of the layers is believed to result primarily from increasing biaxial compressive stresses. Favorable surface and interface energy and crystallographic relationships may also assist in the nucleation of the cubic and the hexagonal phases, respectively. The presence of the amorphous and hexagonal regions explains why there have been no reports of the growth of 100% cubic boron nitride on Si.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6206463
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Materials Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Materials Research; (United States) Vol. 8:6; ISSN JMREEE; ISSN 0884-2914
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
360202* -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Structure & Phase Studies
AMORPHOUS STATE
BEAMS
BORON COMPOUNDS
BORON NITRIDES
CRYSTAL LATTICES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CUBIC LATTICES
DEPOSITION
DIMENSIONS
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FILMS
FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS
HEXAGONAL LATTICES
INFRARED SPECTRA
LAYERS
LEPTON BEAMS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROSCOPY
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE BEAMS
PHASE STUDIES
PNICTIDES
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS
THICKNESS
THIN FILMS