Near‐edge x‐ray absorption fine structure study of bonding modifications in BN thin films by ion implantation

Near‐edge x‐ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) has been used to study the defect content and the bonding modifications induced in BN thin films by ion implantation. The initial films were hexagonal‐like BN grown on Si(100) by pulsed laser deposition. Subsequent ion implantation with N2+ at 180 keV induces the formation of a significant proportion of sp3 bonding (cubic‐like), and the formation of nitrogen void defects in the remaining sp2 BN. These modifications in the bonding of a film lacking long range order can only be distinguished with a local order technique like NEXAFS.