JOURNAL OF OPTOELECTRONICS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS, vol.8, no.2, pp.617-620, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
In this paper we report the results on the characterization of boron thin film deposited by TVA method. After finishing the successive depositions, the probes covered with boron thin films were analyzed using various techniques: 1) AFM analysis we obtained a low roughness of the deposited film (less than 10 nm). 2) SEM images analysis - SEM with magnification of 5000 or 10 000 shows again the smoothness of the films as well as the lack of droplets which appears for example in cathodic arc plasma. 3) HRTEM images indicate the cl-spacing corresponding to a rhomboedral lattice space group R-3m with a = 10.92 angstrom and c = 23.81 angstrom parameters, according with the calculated data from the electron diffraction pattern. The obtained thin films were of high quality and the evaporation process quite stable in spite of the used high voltages and arc currents to support the TVA discharge. Diffusion and boron carbide producing at carbon crucible interaction with evaporated boron have been observed.