Epitaxial α-Be3N2 thin films grown on Si substrates by reactive laser ablation

Beryllium nitride thin films were grown on (1 1 1) and (1 0 0) silicon substrates by laser ablating a beryllium foil in molecular nitrogen ambient from room temperature up to 900 °C. Resulting films were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, Auger electron and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. Epitaxial films were achieved at substrate temperatures of 750 °C on (1 1 1)-Si. The diffraction measurements are in agreement with the α-Be3N2 phase. The orientation relationship between film-substrate corresponds to [1 1 0]Si[2 1̄ 0]Be3N2 and (1 1̄ 1)Si(1̄ 2̄ 3)Be3N2.