Investigation of the role of substrate for high-quality h-BN layers by FTIR modeling

M. Shamseddinea,*, M. Kazanb and M. Tabbalc Department of physics, American University of Beirut, Riad EL-Solh 1107 2020, Beirut, Lebanon
a

mos05@aub.edu.lb, b mk140@aub.edu.lb, c mt03@aub.edu.lb, *M. Shamseddine

Hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN) has attracted a great interest through the last few years owing to the extraordinary physical properties that are remarkable for such films to be used in an impressive variety of proposed and realized applications in optoelectronics. Its low density, high hardness, large thermal conductivity, high temperature stability, high dielectric breakdown strength and resistivity, and good electric insulation make it advanced as both a structural and electronic material. Moreover, h-BN is also recognized as White Graphite, due to its lattice parameters that are similar to those of graphite. This similar (hexagonal) crystal structure would give rise to excellent lubricating properties such as a bandgap opening of grapheme. Thus h-BN thin film can also exhibit potential applications such as a good gate dielectric for metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect-transistors. Nevertheless, due to the challenges in synthesizing high-quality h-BN thin films (caused by strain occurring during the heterogrowth leading to the degradation of crystallinity) the industrial technological applications of these films has been limited to a niche market. The obstacle in growing high crystalline quality h-BN thin films is atomic lattice matching with thermally compatible substrate materials. As a consequence of heteroepitaxy, the crystalline quality of the grown h-BN thin film is strongly affected by the substrate properties and lattice structure. In this context, we tackle this issue and we investigate experimentally the advantages and disadvantages of each of the commonly used substrates to widen the field of knowledge about this technologically relevant and physically interesting material. To achieve our objective we have carried out Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) reflectivity measurements on h-BN thin films grown on commonly used substrates (silicon Si, sapphire Al2O3, and silicon carbide SiC). Then, for a quantitative analysis the experimentally obtained data are fitted to a theoretical model for the reflectivity of unpolarized infrared beam from anisotropic material. The developed model considers the infrared reflectivity from three-layered system (substrate, interface stressed layer and relaxed h-BN layer) to be a combination of a reflectivity from the anisotropic plane and a reflectivity from the basal isotropic plane. In addition to the anharmonic vibrational properties of the host material, this model accounts for the crystal point-defects, disorder, strain, and free carriers concentration and mobility through classical and perturbation techniques. The good agreement with the experimental results provide an insight into the effect of growth conditions on the ordinary and extraordinary physical properties of h-BN thin film and the limitations of each substrate in growing h-BN thin films of high crystalline quality.