Direct formation of hexagonal boron nitride on silicon based dielectrics

A multilayer structure comprising:

• a single crystal semiconductor wafer comprising two major, generally parallel surfaces, one of which is a front surface of the single crystal semiconductor wafer and the other of which is a back surface of the single crystal semiconductor wafer, a circumferential edge joining the front and back surfaces of the single crystal semiconductor wafer, a central plane between the front surface and the back surface of the single crystal semiconductor wafer, and a bulk region between the front and back surfaces of the single crystal semiconductor wafer;
• a layer comprising silicon nitride in interfacial contact with the front surface of the single crystal semiconductor wafer;
• a layer comprising hexagonal boron nitride in interfacial contact with the layer comprising silicon nitride;
• and
• a layer comprising graphene in interfacial contact with the layer comprising hexagonal boron nitride.

A method of forming a multilayer structure, the method comprising:

• contacting a front surface of a layer comprising silicon nitride with (i) a boron-containing gas or a boron-containing vapor and (ii) a nitrogen-containing gas or nitrogen-containing vapor a at a temperature sufficient to directly deposit a layer comprising hexagonal boron nitride in interfacial contact with the front surface of the layer comprising silicon nitride, wherein the layer comprising silicon nitride further comprises a back surface, the back surface in interfacial contact with a front surface of a single crystal semiconductor wafer, the single crystal semiconductor wafer comprising two major, generally parallel surfaces, one of which is the front surface of the single crystal semiconductor wafer and the other of which is a back surface of the single crystal semiconductor wafer, a circumferential edge joining the front and back surfaces of the single crystal semiconductor wafer, a central plane between the front surface and the back surface of the single crystal semiconductor wafer, and a bulk region between the front and back surfaces of the single crystal semiconductor wafer;
• forming a metal film on the layer comprising hexagonal boron nitride, wherein the metal film comprises a front metal film surface, a back metal film surface, and a bulk metal region between the front and back metal film surfaces, and further wherein the back metal film surface is in interfacial contact with the layer comprising hexagonal boron;
• contacting the front metal film surface with a carbon-containing gas or a carbon-containing vapor in a reducing atmosphere at a temperature sufficient to in-diffuse carbon atoms into the bulk metal region of the metal film;
• and
• precipitating carbon atoms to thereby form a layer of graphene between the layer comprising hexagonal boron nitride and the back metal film surface to thereby prepare the multilayer structure comprising the metal film, the layer of graphene, the layer comprising hexagonal boron nitride, the layer comprising silicon nitride, and the single crystal semiconductor wafer.