Preparation of layered B/C/N thin films on nickel single crystal by LPCVD

Abstract

Thin films of crystalline B/C/N materials were deposited on nickel(111) single crystal by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) using acrylonitrile and boron trichloride as starting materials at temperatures between 823–1123 K under the pressure of 10 3 Pa. The B/C/N thin film obtained at 823 K was gold in color. RHEED analysis indicates that the film obtained at 823 K was polycrystalline with a random orientation, while films obtained at 923–1123 K were formed of single crystals having a graphite-like structure. ESCA spectra suggested that in the films boron, carbon, and nitrogen atoms were bound in a layered structure. The results of RHEED and ESCA suggest that Ni(111) could play the decisive role of a substrate for hetero-epitaxial growth as well as a catalyst for the formation of crystalline B/C/N film.