Orientational relationship between cubic boron nitride and hexagonal boron nitride in a thin film synthesized by ion plating

Cubic boron nitride (c-BN) thin films synthesized by the ion-plating method were examined by high-resolution electron microscopy. It was found that the {0002} planes of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) at the boundaries of c-BN grains preferred to nucleate almost parallel to {111} planes of c-BN. Cross-sectional observation in the initial stage of growth showed that the c-BN can grow on top of the prismatic planes and the {0001} basal planes of h-BN, keeping the parallelism of the (111)_c-BN to (0001)_h-BN. A few degrees deviation (∼4°) between h-BN {0002} planes and c-BN {111} planes was frequently found in the film. The nucleation mechanism of c-BN was discussed analogous to that of diamond on graphite.