Ion implantation effects on the structure and nanomechanical properties of vapor deposited cubic boron nitride films

A few hundred keV C, F, and Si ions were implanted in vapor deposited cBN films with doses ranging from 10(12) to 10(15) ions/cm(2), and implantation effects on the chemical bonding and nanomechanical properties have been investigated. Additionally, implanted-ion concentration and displacement damage were simulated using a Monte Carlo program, TRIM.SP, for the better understanding of the derived experimental results. The experiments and the simulation revealed that when the calculated damage of the implanted cBN film was higher than 0.025 dpa (displacement per target atom), more than 16% of the original cBN was destroyed. This result corresponded well with the hardness decrease observed for these films. On the other hand, when the damage was lower than 0.025 dpa, cBN destruction was less than 7%, and the implanted films showed comparable, or even superior, hardness to as- deposited films. (C) 2002 American Vacuum Society.