Damage effects from medium energy ion bombardment during the growth of cubic boron nitride films

Cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films with low stress have been produced by simultaneous 35 keV N+ ion implantation during growth by Ion Assisted Sputtering (IAS). The stress release is achieved at the lost of a decrease in the c-BN content. Despite this fact, films with high c-BN content and relatively large thickness (~0.4 mm) have been successfully produced. The decrease on the c-BN content is discussed in terms of the damage induced by the medium energy ion implantation.