Binary-collision modeling of ion-induced stress relaxation in cubic BN and amorphous C thin films

It is demonstrated that ion-bombardment-induced stress release during physical vapor deposition of cubic boron nitride cBN and amorphous carbon aC films is related to collisional relocation of atoms. A model based on TRIM and molecular dynamics computer simulations is presented.
Experimental results obtained using pulsed substrate bias are in good agreement with the model predictions at adequately chosen threshold energies of atomic relocation. The collisional relaxation model describes the experimental data significantly better than the widely applied thermal spike model.