Field emission results from an on-going study of thin films of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (cBN) are presented. Samples under study have been synthesized using the reduced-bias ion-assisted sputtering technique [1], which enables the growth of 100% cubic phase up to 2μm in thickness. Si(100) substrates have been utilized for this experiment. Reflection High energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) was used to characterize the surface morphology of the deposited films in situ; Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) data of the BN thin films were obtained outside the growth environment. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) provided crystal phase and composition information of the boron nitride films. The field emission of the BN films grown to various thicknesses was examined, using a customized parallel plate configuration at pressures of 10~(-8) Torr or lower. Conclusions based on the analysis of these emission results are offered with particular regard to the effects of the different morphology of the film surface, which consequently provides insight into the field emission characteristics of the cBN thin film itself.
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