Erosion of a-B/C : H films under deuterium plasma irradiation

Abstract

The erosion of amorphous boronized carbon a-B/C : H films under low energy deuterium plasma irradiation was investigated. The films were deposited on a silicon substrate by the PCVD-method using the carborane vapour C 2B 10H 12 as a precursor. The deuterium plasma parameters in the erosion experiments were the following: ion flux density 3 × 10 16 cm −2 s −1, ion energy 50 eV, thermal atom flux density 1 × 10 16 cm −2 s −1. The erosion yields were calculated on the basis of mass thickness losses which were measured by electron probe micro-analysis. The erosion yields of a-B/C : H films do not depend on the temperature in the range 100–550°C and are more than one order of magnitude lower compared to those of boronized graphite USB-15. It was shown that the film erodes through the developing porosity which initially exists in the film and that the erosion has a chemical nature.