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Low‐Temperature Deposition of Hexagonal Boron Nitride via Sequential Injection of Triethylboron and N 2 /H 2 Plasma
Author(s) -
Haider Ali,
OzgitAkgun Cagla,
Goldenberg Eda,
Okyay Ali Kemal,
Biyikli Necmi
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/jace.13213
Subject(s) - x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , analytical chemistry (journal) , materials science , thin film , boron nitride , carbon film , annealing (glass) , boron , crystallite , crystallinity , chemistry , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , metallurgy , organic chemistry , chromatography , engineering , composite material
Hexagonal boron nitride ( hBN ) thin films were deposited on silicon and quartz substrates using sequential exposures of triethylboron and N 2 / H 2 plasma in a hollow‐cathode plasma‐assisted atomic layer deposition reactor at low temperatures (≤450°C). A non‐saturating film deposition rate was observed for substrate temperatures above 250°C. BN films were characterized for their chemical composition, crystallinity, surface morphology, and optical properties. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depicted the peaks of boron, nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen at the film surface. B 1s and N 1s high‐resolution XPS spectra confirmed the presence of BN with peaks located at 190.8 and 398.3 eV , respectively. As deposited films were polycrystalline, single‐phase hBN irrespective of the deposition temperature. Absorption spectra exhibited an optical band edge at ~5.25 eV and an optical transmittance greater than 90% in the visible region of the spectrum. Refractive index of the hBN film deposited at 450°C was 1.60 at 550 nm, which increased to 1.64 after postdeposition annealing at 800°C for 30 min. These results represent the first demonstration of hBN deposition using low‐temperature hollow‐cathode plasma‐assisted sequential deposition technique.