Electrical properties of Be-implanted polycrystalline cubic boron nitride films

P-type conductivity of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (cBN) films was achieved by implantation of beryllium ions. The effects of implantation doses and annealing on the phase composition and electrical properties of cBN films were studied. A reduction in resistivity by seven orders of magnitude was observed. Hall measurement revealed a corresponding hole concentration of 6.1x10(18) cm(-3) and mobility of 3 cm(2)/V s. The activation energy was estimated to be 0.20 +/- 0.02 eV from the temperature dependence of resistance. The electrical properties of Be-implanted films are comparable to that of Be-doped cBN single crystals synthesized by high-pressure and high-temperature method. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.