Characterization of hexagonal boron carbonitride (h-BCN) films prepared by RF plasma enhanced CVD

Mannan, M. A.*; Nagano, Masamitsu*; Hirao, Norie*; Baba, Yuji  

Boron carbonitride thin films were synthesized on Si(100) substrate by radiofrequency and microwave plasma enhanced vapor deposition using tris-dimethylamino borane as a precursor. The formation of the hexagonal phase of BCN films was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The measurements of X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) showed that boron atoms bonded to C and N atoms. The results for near edge X-ray absorption fine structures (NEXAFS) using synchrotron radiation supports the XPS results where B atoms bonded not only to nitrogen but also to carbon atoms to form various local structures. The polarization dependence of NEXAFS suggested that the local structures of BCN have different orientations in the films.