Boron-Nitride films are of interest for their high hardness and wear r
esistant properties. Large intrinsic stresses and poor adhesion which
often accompany high hardness materials can be moderated through the u
se of a layered structure. Alternate layers of boron (B) and boron-nit
ride (BN) are formed by modulating the composition of the sputter gas
during deposition from a pure B target. The thin films are characteriz
ed with transmission electron microscopy to evaluate the microstructur
e and with nanoindentation to determine hardness. Layer pair spacing a
nd continuity effects on hardness are evaluated for the B/BN films. (C
) 1997 Acta Metallurgica Inc.