Cubic-BN-Like Structure of B-C-N Films Synthesized by PlasmaSource Ion Nitriding

Plasma source ion nitriding has emerged as a low-temperature, low-pressure nitriding approach for implanting nitrogen ions and then diffusing them into bulk materials. The ion-plating B-C films were nitrided to synthesize B-C-N films at a nitriding temperature from 300 to 500°C. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra analyses showed that the amorphous B-C-N films synthesized at 500°C are composed mainly of cubic-BN-like and hexagonal-BN-like plain microdomains. The higher nitriding temperature contributes to the formation of cubic-BN-like B-C-N structure in the B-C-N films.