BCN films with controlled composition obtained by the interaction between molecular beams of B and C with nitrogen ion beams

Ternary BCN compounds with controlled composition have been synthesised by using independent molecular fluxes of B and C supplied from two different electron beam evaporators, and concurrent N-2(+) ions from a Kauffman ion gun fed with nitrogen gas. We have established experimentally the correspondence between the ratio of B/C/N atoms arriving at the substrate and the actual film composition measured by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The composition of the BCN films does not follow simply the ratio of the impinging B/C/N fluxes, but it is determined by the complex interplay of several factors, such as the reactivity between the different species, its sticking coefficient and the possibility of formation of volatile moieties. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.