Field emission properties of BN coated Si tips by pulsed ArF laser deposition

Thin films of boron nitride (BN) were deposited by pulsed ArF laser ablation of a pyrolitic BN target in an N-2 ambient with and without substrate bias and also in a nitrogen plasma. The structural property studies with infrared and reflection high-energy electron diffraction show that the films possess cubic BN and hexagonal or amorphous phase of BN. Deposition of cubic BN is enhanced by application of substrate bias whereas crystallinity is degraded by the introduction of nitrogen plasma. The held emission of electrons was tested for BN coated Si tips, and it was found that the field emission of electrons enhanced when the cubic BN was coated. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X(99)03901-3].