Growth of h-BN on copper (110) in a LEEM

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) was grown by borazine vapour deposition on single crystalline Cu (110) substrates at 740 °C. The growth was investigated in situ using a Low-Energy Electron Microscope (LEEM). Substrates were prepared ex situ by mechanical and electrochemical methods and once in the LEEM system, by annealing in a H2 atmosphere resulting in a reconstructed surface. Exposure to borazine vapour resulted in the nucleation of well-aligned trigonal h-BN islands, which merged to ribbons along surface steps, and into larger, more irregularly shaped features. A coverage of up to 60% was achieved with an exposure of 3900 L. A diffraction ring in the low energy electron diffraction pattern was observed with a preferential alignment along the Cu 〈 111 〉 directions of the underlying substrate. Low-energy electron reflectivity scans, as well as x-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies, confirmed the presence of a partial monolayer of h-BN on the surface.