Influence of oxygen on the growth of cubic boron nitride thin films by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition

Cubic boron nitride thin films were deposited on silicon substrates by low-pressure inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. It was found that the introduction of O₂ into the deposition system suppresses both nucleation and growth of cubic boron nitride. At a B₂H₆ concentration of 2.5\% during film deposition, the critical O₂ concentration allowed for the nucleation of cubic boron nitride was found to be less than 1.4\%, while that for the growth of cubic boron nitride was higher than 2.1\%. Moreover, the infrared absorption peak observed at around 1230--1280~cm^-1, frequently detected for cubic boron nitride films prepared using non-ultrahigh vacuum systems, appears to be due to the absorption of boron oxide, a contaminant formed as a result of the oxygen impurity. Therefore, the existence of trace oxygen contamination in boron nitride films can be evaluated qualitatively by this infrared absorption peak.     

Optical properties of hexagonal boron nitride thin films deposited by radio frequency bias magnetron sputtering

The optical properties of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) thin films were studied in this paper. The films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV--visible transmittance and reflection spectra. h-BN thin films with a wide optical band gap E_g (5.86 eV for the as-deposited film and 5.97 eV for the annealed film) approaching h-BN single crystal were successfully prepared by radio frequency (RF) bias magnetron sputtering and post-deposition annealing at 970~K. The optical absorption behaviour of h-BN films accords with the typical optical absorption characteristics of amorphous materials when fitting is made by the Urbach tail model. The annealed film shows satisfactory structure stability. However, high temperature still has a significant effect on the optical absorption properties, refractive index n, and optical conductivity σ of h-BN thin films. The blue-shift of the optical absorption edge and the increase of E_g probably result from stress relaxation in the film under high temperatures. In addition, it is found that the refractive index clearly exhibits different trends in the visible and ultraviolet regions. Previous calculational results of optical conductivity of h-BN films are confirmed in our experimental results.     

Surface properties of cubic boron nitride thin films

Studying the surface properties of cubic boron nitride (c-BN) thin films is very important to making it clear that its formation mechanism and application. In this paper, c-BN thin films were deposited on Si substrates by radio frequency sputter. The influence of working gas pressure on the formation of cBN thin film was studied. The surface of c-BN films was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the results showed that the surface of c-BN thin films contained C and O elements besides B and N. Value of N/B of c-BN thin films that contained cubic phase of boron nitride was very close to 1. The calculation based on XPS showed that the thickness of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on the surface of c-BN films is approximately 0.8 nm.     

Residual compressive stress and intensity of infrared absorption of cubic BN films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Theoretical and experimental investigations on the dependence of the intensity of infrared （IR） absorption of poly- crystalline cubic boron nitride thin films under the residual compressive stress conditions have been performed. Our results indicate that the intensity of the IR absorption is proportional to the total degree of freedom of all the ions in the ordered regions. The reduction of interstitial Ar atom concentration, which causes the increase in the ordered regions of cubic boron nitride （cBN） crystallites, could be one cause for the increase in the intensity of IR absorption after residual compressive stress relaxation. Theoretical derivation is in good agreement with the experimental results concerning the IR absorption intensity and the Ar interstitial atom concentration in cubic boron nitride films measured by energy dispersion X-ray spec- troscopy. Our results also suggest that the interstitial Ar is the origin of residual compressive stress accumulation in plasma enhanced cBN film deposition.     

用射频溅射法制备立方氮化硼薄膜

利用射频溅射方法在n型Si(111)衬底上制备出立方相含量接近100%且粘附性较高的立方氮化硼(c-BN)薄膜.傅里叶变换红外谱(FTIR)的结果表明，基底负偏压对薄膜立方相含量和薄膜压应力有很大影响，另外，衬底的电阻率对c-BN生长和薄膜的压应力也有一定的影响. 关键词： 立方氮化硼 射频溅射 压应力 基底负偏压     

立方氮化硼薄膜的生长特性与粘附性研究

用X射线衍射技术、红外吸收光谱、扫描电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱对热丝辅助射频等离子体化学汽相沉积法制备的立方氮化硼(c-BN)薄膜的生长特性和粘附性进行了研究.改变生长条件，在Si、不锈钢和Ni衬底上沉积c-BN薄膜，进而研究了c-BN薄膜的质量和生长条件与衬底之间的关系.实验发现，Ni衬底上生长的薄膜c-BN含量较高，且粘附性好.当Si衬底上溅射一层Ni过渡层，再生长c-BN薄膜，薄膜中c-BN含量提高，与Si衬底的粘附性也显著增强. 关键词：     

Spectroscopic in situ diagnostics of boron nitride film growth in plasma-enhanced deposition

The development of in situ diagnostics of the most important species and reactions in the plasma and/or on the surface during thin-film growth is one of the current topics in plasma-enhanced vapor deposition. In situ thin film diagnostic methods which could be used in plasma processing are restricted due to the presence of electrons and ions. The advantages and disadvantages of different applicable methods will be discussed. The spectroscopic in situ control of boron nitride film growth is presented as an example of surface modification in low-temperature, low-pressure plasma processing. The growth of cubic and hexagonal boron nitride is observed by polarized infrared reflection spectroscopy in absorption and ellipsometric configurations as well as by single-wavelength ellipsometry in the visible spectral range. Modeling of the experimental results gives detailed information on growth conditions and internal stress of the films. Received: 8 August 2000 / Accepted: 12 December 2000 / Published online: 3 April 2001     

衬底材料对制备立方氮化硼薄膜的影响

较系统地研究了不同衬底材料对制备氮化硼薄膜的影响。用热丝增强射频等离子体CVD法,以NH3,B2H6和H2为反应气体,在Si,Ni,Co和不锈钢等衬底材料上,成功生长出高质量的立方氮化硼薄膜,还用13.56MHz的射频溅射系统将c-BN薄膜沉积在Si衬底上,靶材为h-BN(纯度为99.99％）,溅射气体为氩气和氮气的混合气体,所得到的氮化硼薄膜中立方相含量高于90%,用X射线衍射谱和傅里叶变换红谱对样品进行了分析表明,衬底材料与c-BN的晶格匹配情况,对于CVD生长立方氮化硼薄膜影响很大,而对溅射生长立方氮化硼薄膜影响不大。     

立方氮化硼薄膜的最新研究进展

立方氮化硼(cBN)作为一种在自然界中并不存在的人造材料具有优异的理化特性. 在超硬刀具、高温电子器件和光学保护膜等领域有着广泛的应用前景,已经成为材料科学的研究热点之一. 但是气相生长高质量cBN薄膜仍然还有许多难点需要攻克. 在综述近几年cBN薄膜研究所取得的一些突破性进展后,结合研究现状提出今后可能的主要研究方向. 关键词： 立方氮化硼薄膜 压缩应力 异质外延 掺杂     

Influence of surface properties on the structure of granular silver films and excitation of localized plasmons

Granular silver films deposited on a thin insulating film of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) and transparent conducting electrode (polycrystalline indium tin oxide (ITO) layer) have been investigated by spectroscopy and microscopy methods. The extinction spectra of silver films on the surface of these materials are found to be significantly different. An annealing of silver films causes a blue shift of the peak of plasmon resonance band in the spectrum of silver nanoparticles: by 16 nm on the a-C:H surface and by 94 nm on the ITO surface. Silver films on the surface of a-C:H films are characterized by a narrower band in the extinction spectrum, which is peaked at 446 nm. The changes observed in the optical density of Ag films are related to the change in size and area of nanoparticles. The results of spectral studies of Ag films are in agreement with the data on the nanostructure obtained by scanning electron microscopy and statistical image processing. The spectra of granular silver films are shown to correlate well with the nanoparticle distribution function over the film area.     

射频磁控溅射法制备SnS薄膜及其结构和光学特性

利用射频磁控溅射法在玻璃衬底上沉积SnS薄膜并对其进行快速退火处理,利用X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼光谱(Raman)、X射线能量色散谱(EDS)、原子力显微镜(AFM)和紫外-可见-近红外(UV-Vis-NIR)分光光度计研究了不同溅射功率(60~120 W)条件下制备的SnS薄膜的晶体结构、物相组成、化学组分、表面形貌以及有关光学特性。结果表明:经快速退火的薄膜均已结晶,提高溅射功率有利于改善薄膜的结晶质量、生长择优取向程度和化学配比,薄膜的平均颗粒尺寸呈增大趋势;溅射功率为100 W的薄膜样品的结晶质量和择优取向度高,薄膜应变最小,且为纯相SnS薄膜,Sn/S组分的量比为1∶1.09,吸收系数达10~5cm~(-1)量级,直接禁带宽度为1.54 eV。     

Infrared Spectroscopy Investigation of Cubic Boron Nitride Films

Abstract

FT-IR Spectroscopy have been used for identifying both the structure of BN and the intensity of the compressive stress in cubic boron nitride (c-BN) film prepared by a unbalanced of (13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering of a hexagonal boron nitride target in a mixture argon and nitride discharge. A T(temperature) - V(negative bias) phase diagram was obtained using the phase structure identify by IR spectra. Comparing the reflection infrared spectra (RIR) with the transmission infrared spectra (TIR) measured from same c-BN film, it is firstly found that RIR peak position of c-BN is lower than TIR peak position of c-BN, this means that the compressive stress on the surface layer of c-BN film is smaller than that inside c-BN film, may be this is the reason why thicker c-BN film can not be synthesized. A higher IR peak position of 1064 cm^?1 and a lower peak position 1004.7 cm^?1 were detected from a broken and partly peeled off c-BN film. The peak position of 1064 cm^?1 agrees with that of bulk c-BN at 1065 cm^?1 which was synthesized at high temperature and high pressure, while the peak position of 1004.7 cm^?1 accords well with the result calculated (1004 cm^?1) by Wentzcovitch and it may be closes to that of the stress free value of c-BN. Using the result measured by Ulrich, the shift rate of IR peak position of c-BN in the films is about 3.8 cm^?1/Gpa to be obtained.     

Grain boundary potential and charge density at grain boundaries of chemically prepared thin silver sulfide films

The grain boundary potential and interface state charge density at the grain boundaries of silver sulfide (Ag₂S) thin films prepared by chemical conversion of cadmium sulfide (CdS) films have been determined from the dc resistance of the material and are found to be sensitive to annealing. A reduction in the grain boundary potential and the grain boundary charge density of the film has been noticed when the source CdS film is annealed at different temperatures prior to chemical conversion. The variation in the grain boundary charge density of the grown Ag₂S film with source annealing temperature has been found to be similar to that of thin cadmium sulfide film, reported earlier. An additional low temperature heat treatment of the sample results in an enhancement in the charge density at the grain boundaries. The change in the silver vacancy and/or oxygen and sulfur content of the films as revealed from the energy dispersive spectra of the films suggests possible role of film composition on the grain boundary charge density.     

SERS characterization of metallic silver nanoparticle self‐assembly within thin films

Clusters of silver nanoparticles are generated by the thermally initiated reduction of silver carboxylates (long‐chain fatty acids) in the thin polymer films. The size, shape, and aggregation of these nanoparticles are affected by the reduction reaction in the presence of capping agents. In order to understand the mechanism(s) controlling the silver structure formation, it is essential to understand the surface coordination chemistry occurring during this process. We now report the first application of surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to directly characterize adsorbates on the surfaces of silver nanoparticles within a thin film imaging construction containing multiple components. In addition, SERS investigation of model silver substrates was used to confirm the identify of specific adsorbates of silver complexes. This is a powerful tool for revealing the chemistry involved with the control of silver nanoparticle aggregation during thermally induced metallic silver formation within thin films. Both the catechol‐reducing agent and the phthalazinone (PAZ) particle aggregation agent are observed on the metallic silver surface at the initial particle formation and during its crystal growth. However, careful attention to excitation wavelength is required in order to observe all the surface species. PAZ appears to be more effective at stabilizing individual silver particles than other aggregation agents investigated. An understanding of the roles of the aggregation/reducing agents in the growth and aggregation of silver nanoparticles is important for preparing different types of silver particles for specific applications including silver‐based thermal imaging systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

无序双层六角氮化硼量子薄膜的电子性质

基于安德森紧束缚模型,本文研究了无序双层六角氮化硼量子薄膜的电子性质. 数值计算结果表明在双层都无序掺杂的情况下,六角氮化硼量子薄膜的电子是局域的, 其表现为绝缘体性质;而对于单层掺杂(无论是氮原子还是硼原子)的双层六角氮化硼量子薄膜, 在能谱的带尾出现了持续的迁移率边.这就说明在单层掺杂的双层六角氮化硼量子薄膜中产生了 金属绝缘体转变.这一结果证实了有序-无序分区掺杂的理论模型,为理解及调控双层六角氮化硼量子薄膜 的电子性质提供了有益的理论指导.     

On the stoichiometry condition for the formation of cubic boron nitride films

The stoichiometry of boron nitride (BN) films, which are deposited with self-bias-assisted radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering of a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) target, has been investigated with Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and the MCs⁺-mode of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (MCs⁺-SIMS) for the sake of a better understanding of the growth mechanism of cubic boron nitride (cBN). The cubic fraction of the films is determined with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It is shown that full stoichiometry of the deposited films is decisive for cBN-growth. A substrate bias voltage can increase the N concentration of a growing film under N-deficient deposition conditions. This effect is shown to be temperature dependent. PACS 52.77.Dq; 81.15.Cd; 68.55.Nq     

Effects of experimental parameters on composition of boron carbon nitride thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

We have synthesized boron carbon nitride thin films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The films structure and composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that the three elements of B, C, N are chemically bonded with each other and atomic-level hybrids have been formed in the films. The boron carbon nitride films prepared in the present experiment possess a disordered structure. The influence of PN₂/PN₂+Ar, total pressure and substrate bias voltage on the composition of boron carbon nitride films is investigated. The atomic fraction of C atoms increases and the fractions of B, N decrease with the decrease of PN₂/PN₂+Ar from 75% to 0%. There is an optimum total pressure. That is to say, the atomic fractions of B, N reach a maximum and the fraction of C atoms reaches a minimum at the total pressure of 1.3 Pa. The boron carbon nitride films exhibit lower C content and higher B, N contents at lower bias voltages. And the boron carbon nitride films show higher C content and lower B, N contents at higher bias voltages.     

立方氮化硼薄膜生长过程中的界面控制

在立方氮化硼薄膜气相生长过程中生成的无定形初期层和乱层结构氮化硼中间层，一直是阻碍立方氮化硼薄膜外延生长的主要原因.系统地分析了硅衬底预处理对立方氮化硼薄膜中无定形初期层成分的影响，发现在等离子体化学气相生长法制备薄膜时，硅衬底上形成无定形初期层的可能原因有氧的存在、离子轰击以及高温下硅的氮化物的形成.在H₂气氛中1200K热处理硅衬底可以有效地减少真空室中残留氧浓度，除去硅表面的自然氧化层，保持硅衬底表面晶体结构.控制衬底温度不超过900 K，就能防止硅的氮化物的形成，成功地除去无 关键词： 立方氮化硼薄膜 等离子体化学气相生长 界面 电子显微镜     

Raman scattering in mosaic silicon carbide films

The Raman spectra of mosaic silicon carbide films grown on silicon substrates by solid-state epitaxy have been studied. The main polytypes forming the film material have been determined. It has been experimentally revealed that the properties of the silicon carbide film are changed after an aluminum nitride film is deposited on the former film. This has been interpreted as a manifestation of good damping properties of the SiC film when layers of other semiconductors are grown on it.     

TiN growth on Si by hybrid radical beam PLD

High-quality (good crystallinity and stoichiometry) titanium nitride (TiN) thin films were grown on Si(100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a high-purity titanium target (99.99%) and nitrogen radical beam. The crystallinity, chemical composition, and depth profiles of the grown films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), respectively. The XRD pattern indicated that the preferred growth of TiN(200) with an orientation parallel to the Si(100) direction was obtained and the nitrogen radical drastically improved crystallinity compared with that grown in ambient nitrogen gas. RBS spectra indicated that the combination of PLD and the nitrogen radical beam suppressed silicidation at the interface between the Si substrate and TiN thin film during growth. The XPS analysis revealed that this method achieved the synthesis of stoichiometric TiN films.