Direct nucleation of hexagonal boron nitride on diamond: Crystalline properties of hBN nanowalls. (1st April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hoang, Duc-Quang; Korneychuk, Svetlana; Sankaran, Kamatchi Jothiramalingam; Pobedinskas, Paulius; Drijkoningen, Sien; Turner, Stuart; Van Bael, Marlies K.; Verbeeck, Johan; Nicley, Shannon S.; Haenen, Ken
• Is Part Of: Acta materialia. Volume 127(2017)
• Page Start: 17
• Page End: 24
• Publication Date: 2017-04-01
• Subjects: Hexagonal boron nitride nanowalls -- Nanocrystalline diamond -- Heterostructures -- Physical vapor deposition; Materials -- Periodicals; Materials science -- Periodicals; Materials -- Mechanical properties -- Periodicals; Metallurgy -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Inorganic -- Periodicals; 620.112
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2017.01.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-6454

Abstract

Abstract: Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanowalls were deposited by unbalanced radio frequency sputtering on (100)-oriented silicon, nanocrystalline diamond films, and amorphous silicon nitride (Si3 N4 ) membranes. The hBN nanowall structures were found to grow vertically with respect to the surface of all of the substrates. To provide further insight into the nucleation phase and possible lattice distortion of the deposited films, the structural properties of the different interfaces were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. For Si and Si3 N4 substrates, turbostratic and amorphous BN phases form a clear transition zone between the substrate and the actual hBN phase of the bulk nanowalls. However, surprisingly, the presence of these phases was suppressed at the interface with a nanocrystalline diamond film, leading to a direct coupling of hBN with the diamond surface, independent of the vertical orientation of the diamond grain. To explain these observations, a growth mechanism is proposed in which the hydrogen terminated surface of the nanocrystalline diamond film leads to a rapid formation of the hBN phase during the initial stages of growth, contrary to the case of Si and Si3 N4 substrates. Graphical abstract: Image 1