Influence Of The Substrate Temperature On BCN Films Deposited By Sequential Pulsed Laser Deposition

The influence of substrate temperature on the composition and crystallinity of boron carbonitride (BCN) thin films deposited on (100) Si substrates by sequential pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been investigated. A correlation between the target composition, the nitrogen pressure involved in the process, and the amount of B, C, and N elements (at %) in the deposited films is established from energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Electron microscopy studies show that the films deposited on heated substrates are mainly amorphous. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirms the BCN-compound formation: the peak of C-BN and the peaks from B-N-B bending vibrations and C-N sigma-bond vibrations are present in the spectra. SEM studies show that the deposited films have a smooth surface, with no cracks and few droplets. Results were compared with those obtained on films deposited at room temperature under similar experimental conditions