Structural and chemical analysis of amorphous B-N-C thin films deposited by RF sputtering

Ternary Boron-Nitrogen-Carbon (B-N-C) thin films were deposited, onto silicon substrates, by reactive radio frequency (RF) sputtering from a boron carbide (B4C) target in a gas mixture of nitrogen and argon. The influence of the RF power (P-RF) on the structure and the chemical composition of these films are studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The two techniques reveal the presence of B, C and N atoms in the deposited films. The presence of nitrogen in the atmosphere of the deposition chamber produces ternary B-N-C films composed mainly with a mixture of B-N and C=N bonds as revealed by these techniques. The boron content increases while carbon and nitrogen contents decrease with PRF. The higher proportion of boron atoms produced a strong contribution of the boron nitride in the final compound B-N-C films. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.