Ion Beam Assisted Deposition of Cubic Boron Nitride Thin Films

Abstract

ABSTRACTBoron nitride thin films were grown using ion beam assisted deposition. Boron metal was evaporated, and the depositing film was bombarded by nitrogen and argon ions. The films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering. The thin films were found to be cubic boron nitride, consisting of 100–200 Å crystallites with a small amount of an amorphous secondary phase. The best conditions for depositing cubic boron nitride were found to be a substrate temperature of 400°C, bombardment by a 50:50 mixture of argon and nitrogen with a bombarding ion energy of 500 eV and a ratio of bombarding ions to depositing boron atoms of from 1.0 to 1.5 ions per atom.