PHASE IDENTIFICATION OF BORON-NITRIDE THIN-FILMS BY POLARIZED INFRARED REFLECTION SPECTROSCOPY

Six different types of boron nitride films were investigated by polari zed infrared reflection spectroscopy. Films with a highly cubic, mixed cubic and noncubic, and exclusively noncubic phase composition were s ynthesized using ion beam assisted deposition. Additionally, postdepos ition argon ion irradiated cubic and noncubic boron nitride films as w ell as a nitrogen implanted boron sample were analyzed. Using this tec hnique, besides the cubic phase, two different noncubic modifications, layered anisotropic and amorphous, could be distinguished. A preferen tial orientation of the normal axis of the sp(2)-bonded basal planes p arallel to the substrate surface was observed. (C) 1996 American Insti tute of Physics.