Abstract
The effects of sputtering gases on the preparation of boron nitride films using RF sputtering were investigated. Mixtures of Ar-N2 and Ar-NH3 were used as reactive sputtering gases. SEM observation indicated the surface morphologies of the sputtered films to be smooth. BN bonding was confirmed in XPS spectra of samples sputtered using Ar-N2 and Ar-NH3 mixtures as sputtering gases. The hardness of the film was increased and the friction coefficient was decreased for the Si substrate with increasing N2 ratio in Ar-N2 sputtering gas. Relatively high hardness could be obtained with a not-so-slow deposition rate using Ar-NH3 sputtering gas. Moreover preparation of the BN film on CVD diamond substrates could be performed using this method.
