Structure determination of B_4C and SiC thin films Via synchrotron high-resolution diffraction

摘要

Thin films of B_4C and SiC deposited by magnetron sputtering as components of multilayers have the potential to provide significant property improvements over current wear resistant coating technology. B_4C and SiC have previously been found to be amorphous and possibly nanocrystalline under the deposition conditions used. This study reports results of synchrotron x-ray scattering experiments providing information on the degree of crystallinity, strain, average density, and coordination number in 2000 A films of these compounds on Si substrates. Radial distribution functions from B_4C and SiC thin films were obtained and used to model the structure. Strain results are compared with Double Crystal x-ray Diffraction Topography (DCDT) results as a means for establishing a standard strain state.