Laser-Assisted Deposition of r-B4C Coatings Using Ethylene as Carbon Precursor

TL;DR

This study demonstrates a laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition method to synthesize rhombohedral B4C coatings with controlled carbon content at high deposition rates, analyzing growth kinetics and morphology.

Contribution

It introduces a laser-assisted CVD process using ethylene as a carbon precursor for high-rate B4C coating deposition with detailed kinetic and morphological analysis.

Findings

Achieved deposition rates up to 0.12 μm/sec.

Controlled carbon content between 15-22 at.% in B4C films.

Analyzed the influence of growth conditions on film structure.

Abstract

Rhombohedral B4C coatings were synthesised on fused silica substrates by CO2 laser-assisted chemical vapour deposition (LCVD), using a dynamic reactive atmosphere of BCl3, C2H4 and H2. Films with carbon content from 15 to 22 at.% were grown at deposition rates as high as 0.12 micrometers per second. The kinetics of the reactive system used to deposit the B4C films and the influence of growth conditions on the structure and morphology of the deposits were investigated. Keywords: Rhombohedral boron carbide (r-B4C), Laser-CVD, growth kinetics.