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The growth of cubic boron nitride (cBN) films on bare silicon and amorphous tetrahedral carbon layers prepared on silicon substrates was studied. The cBN films were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputter deposition at approximately 870 degree Celsius.

X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) was used to study the cubic boron nitride (c-BN) content in the BN films deposited on various substrates by different physical vapor deposition or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods. By fitting the XANES curves of thin-film samples using standard spectra of pure c-BN and sp²-bonded BN in the films with suitable weight factors, the c-BN contents at the film's surface region and across the film's thickness have been determined quantitatively. The results agree well with the previous transmission electron microscopic observations. The method is proved to be independent of the optical properties of thin film and provides a possibility to evaluate the cubic content of BN films accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]