Structural response and stress release of hexagonal and cubic boron nitride films due to the bombardment with 170-MeV iodine ions

Abstract

Abstract To investigate the stability of the cubic (c-) and the hexagonal (h-) phase of boron nitride (BN) against radiation damage induced predominantly by electronic energy loss processes of high energy density (typical value 25 keV nm−1), thin films prepared by ion-beam-assisted sputter deposition (IBAD) were irradiated at room temperature with 170-MeV iodine ions. Though the average sample stoichiometry, as continuously monitored during the irradiation by elastic recoil detection (ERD), remains unchanged in both cases, Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectra as well as reflection electron energy loss spectra (REELS) taken before and after each irradiation step clearly demonstrate that c-BN is converted to h-BN, even by small ion fluences, while h-BN remains stable. Additionally, interferometric measurements indicate a dramatic stress release for both, h-BN and c-BN starting structures. In all cases, a pronounced volume expansion of the samples perpendicular to the beam direction is observed maintaining a constant mass area density as again monitored by ERD. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) on bombarded samples reveals characteristic surface features on different length scales, which can be interpreted as being due to stress release and ion track formation. These results are consistent with h-BN being the stable high-temperature phase under relaxed pressure conditions.