From Amorphous to Amorphous-Crystalline Mixed-Phase Boron Nitride: Evolution of the Thermal and Elastic Properties

Abstract

Amorphous boron nitride (aBN) is a promising dielectric and protective coating, yet its nanoscale heat dissipation and elastic response remain poorly quantified. Here we synthesize a variety of BN thin films by borazine-based chemical vapor deposition (800-1000 C) and study the temperature-driven structural transition from fully amorphous networks to mixed amorphous-crystalline films with embedded BN nanocrystallites.Frequency-domain thermoreflectance data show an ultralow, thickness-dependent cross-plane thermal conductivity for aBN (kout < 0.5 W m-1 K-1 for 10-40 nm), which increases systematically with crystalline order up to 1.5 W m-1 K-1. Micro-Brillouin light scattering and finite-element modelling reveal a concomitant stiffening, with Young&#39;s modulus rising from 7.5 +/- 0.7 GPa (800 C) to 53 +/- 5 GPa (1000 C). Green-Kubo molecular dynamics simulations rationalize these trends via bonding topology and vibrational transport, and highlight how oxygen, hydrogen and carbon impurities and composition provide practical knobs to further tune the thermal and mechanical responses in BN films for improving nano-electronics, interconnects and coating applications.