Thick c-BN films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering in argon/nitrogen gas mixture with additional hydrogen gas**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51572105, 61504046, and 51272224), the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Education Ministry, China, the Development and Reform Commission of Jilin Province, China (Grant No. 2015Y050), and the

Abstract

The excellent physical and chemical properties of cubic boron nitride (c-BN) film make it a promising candidate for various industry applications. However, the c-BN film thickness restricts its practical applications in many cases. Thus, it is indispensable to develop an economic, simple and environment-friend way to synthesize high-quality thick, stable c-BN films. High-cubic-content BN films are prepared on silicon (100) substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering from an h-BN target at low substrate temperature. Adhesions of the c-BN films are greatly improved by adding hydrogen to the argon/nitrogen gas mixture, allowing the deposition of a film up to 5-μm thick. The compositions and the microstructure morphologies of the c-BN films grown at different substrate temperatures are systematically investigated with respect to the ratio of H2 gas content to total working gas. In addition, a primary mechanism for the deposition of thick c-BN film is proposed.