Plasma deposition of BN, BCN:H and Me-BCN:H films using N-trimethylborazine (Me = Ti, Nb)

N-Trimethylborazine has been used as precursor to deposit BN, BCN:H and metal-containing BCN:H films by means of plasma CVD processes. Depending on the plasma process and the gas mixture, films with various element compositions and mechanical properties were obtained. Carbon-free BN coatings formed at substrate temperatures of about 600degC in an ECR plasma CVD process, if ammonia was fed through the resonance zone. With Ar, on the other hand, colourless and BCN:H coatings were obtained at comparably low temperatures of 100 to 150degC. Brownish BCN:H plasma polymer films were deposited from rf glow discharges using N-trimethylborazine/Ar mixtures. The formation of metal-containing BCN:H films with refractory metal carbide or nitride clusters in a BCN-network was achieved by a combination of rf sputtering from Ti or Nb targets and plasma CVD from the precursor/Ar mixture. Results of EPMA, IR nanometer indentation, XPS and X-ray diffraction measurements are reported. (orig.)