Laser Ablation and deposition of boron nitride in a vacuum and in the presence of N2 and NH3

Hexagonal boron nitride pellets have been evaporated by a doubled Nd:YAG laser, and the removed material has been deposited on to Si (100) substrates. The ablation has been performed either in a vacuum or in the presence of nitrogen and ammonia at different pressures. The laser fluence and substrate temperature have been varied to optimise the deposition conditions. The best films, from a morphological and compositional point of view, were deposited in a nitrogen atmosphere at room temperature.