GROWTH OF CUBIC BORON-NITRIDE COATINGS IN A MAGNETIC-FIELD ENHANCED RF GLOW-DISCHARGE

c-BN films have been successfully prepared in a magnetic field enhanced r.f. glow discharge (v(r.f.) = 13.56 MHz). Without the magnetic field, only h-BN could be detected in the infrared (IR) spectra of the deposited films. The dependence of the c-BN content on the process parameters, such as ion energy, substrate temperature, magnetic field and gas composition, was investigated by IR spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and ellipsometric measurements. Optical emission spectroscopy of the plasma supports the assumption that this CVD process is comparable to PVD processes. A threshold value of 1.1 for the B/N ratio in the BN deposits is assumed, above which only h-BN growth is possible.