Morphology and Bonding Measured from Boron- Nitride Powders and Films Using Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure

L.J. Terminello, and A. Chaiken,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA

D. A. Lapiano-Smith,
IBM Research,
Yorktown Heights, NY

G.L. Doll,
Physics Department,
GM Research Laboratory, Warren, MI

T. Sato
National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials
Tsukuba City, Japan

Published as J. Vac. Sci. Techn. 12A, 2462 (1994).

Bonding in the hexagonal, cubic, rhombohedral, and wurtzite phases of boron nitride was characterized using core-level photoabsorption. In the boron and nitrogen 1s photoabsorption cross section we observed resonances that were unique to each of the phases and that were associated with the sp² or sp³ bonding present. These spectroscopic standards were then used to characterize the bonding and morphology in an incoherent thin-film of BN based on its core- level photoabsorption. The film studied had predominantly sp² (hexagonal-like) bonding with some evidence of sp³ (cubic-phase) bonds.

• Introduction
• Experimental Details
• Results
• References