Synthesis of atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride films on nickel foils by molecular beam epitaxy

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the synthesis of atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride films on nickel foils via molecular beam epitaxy, analyzing their morphology, crystallinity, and growth behavior.

Contribution

It presents a novel method for growing high-quality h-BN films on Ni substrates using molecular beam epitaxy, with detailed characterization.

Findings

Crystalline h-BN confirmed by Raman spectroscopy

Morphology evolves from dendritic to triangular with temperature

Growth behavior insights from SEM analysis

Abstract

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a layered two-dimensional material with properties that make it promising as a dielectric in various applications. We report the growth of h-BN films on Ni foils from elemental B and N using molecular beam epitaxy. The presence of crystalline h-BN over the entire substrate is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy is used to examine the morphology and continuity of the synthesized films. A scanning electron microscopy study of films obtained using shorter depositions offers insight into the nucleation and growth behavior of h-BN on the Ni substrate. The morphology of h-BN was found to evolve from dendritic, star-shaped islands to larger, smooth triangular ones with increasing growth temperature.