Process for production of high-hardness boron nitride film

A process for the production of a high-hardness boron nitride film on a substrate which comprises

• (i) placing a substrate into a reaction chamber maintained in a vacuum less than 10.sup.-4 torr,
• (ii) maintaining the substrate at a temperature of 0.degree. to 400.degree. C.,
• (iii) heating a boron-containing vacuum deposition source contained in the reaction chamber to vaporize the source, said source being selected from the group consisting of metallic boron and boron compounds,
• (iv) introducing a gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and nitrogen compounds into an ion source to ionize gas and form an ion seed comprising at least nitrogen,
• (v) accelerating the ion seed by an accelerator so that the ion seed has the ion acceleration energy of from 5 to 100 KeV per nitrogen atom of the ion seed,
• (vi) forming an atmosphere of a nitrogen atom or nitrogen compound activated at an energy level lower than that of the ion seed in the reaction chamber, and
• (vii) vacuum-depositing a boron component on the substrate from the vaporized source and simultaneously irradiating the substrate with the ion seed while maintaining the atomic ratio (B/N) between boron and nitrogen supplied from the vaporized source and the ion seed within a range of from 4 to 25.

A process for the production of a high-hardness boron nitride film on a substrate which comprises

• (i) placing a substrate into a reaction chamber maintained in a vacuum less than 10.sup.-4 torr,
• (ii) maintaining the substrate at a temperature of 0.degree. to 400.degree. C.,
• (iii) supplying a boron-containing gas to an arc discharge region in the reaction chamber to ionize a part of boron,
• (iv) introducing a gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and nitrogen compounds into an ion source to ionize gas and form an ion seed comprising at least nitrogen,
• (v) accelerating the ion seed by an accelerator so that the ion seed has the ion acceleration energy of from 5 to 100 KeV per nitrogen atom of the ion seed,
• (vi) supplying nitrogen gas or a nitrogen compound gas to the arc discharge region to form an atmosphere of a nitrogen atom or nitrogen compound activated at an energy level lower than that of the ion seed in the reaction chamber, and
• (vii) vacuum-depositing a boron component on the substrate from the activated boron containing gas and simultaneously irradiating the substrate with the ion seed in said atmosphere while maintaining the atomic ratio (B/N) between boron and nitrogen supplied from the vacuum deposition source and the ion seed within a range of from 4 to 25.

A process for the production of a high-hardness boron nitride film on a substrate which comprises

• (i) placing a substrate into a reaction chamber maintained in a vacuum less than 10.sup.-4 torr,
• (ii) maintaining the substrate at a temperature of 0.degree. to 400.degree. C.,
• (iii) causing arc discharge between double electrodes comprising a boron containing material while introducing nitrogen gas or nitrogen compound gas into the arc discharge region to form a nitrogen-containing boron ion,
• (iv) introducing a gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and nitrogen compounds into an ion source to ionize gas and form an ion seed comprising at least nitrogen,
• (v) accelerating the ion seed by an accelerator so that the ion seed has the ion acceleration energy of from 5 to 100 KeV per nitrogen atom of the ion seed, and
• (vi) vacuum-depositing a boron component on the substrate from the nitrogen-containing boron ion and simultaneously irradiating the substrate with the ion seed while maintaining the atomic ratio (B/N) between boron and nitrogen supplied from the vacuum deposition source and the ion seed within a range of 4 to 25.

A process for the production of a high-hardness boron nitride film on a substrate which comprises

• (i) placing a substrate into a reaction chamber maintained in a vacuum less than 10.sup.-4 torr,
• (ii) maintaining the substrate at a temperature of 0.degree. to 400.degree. C.,
• (iii) heating a boron-containing vacuum deposition source contained in the reaction chamber to vaporize the source, said source being selected from the group consisting of metallic boron and boron compounds,
• (iv) introducing a gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and nitrogen compounds into an ion source to ionize gas and form an ion seed comprising at least nitrogen,
• (v) accelerating the ion seed by an accelerator so that the ion seed has the ion acceleration energy of from 5 to 100 KeV per nitrogen atom of the ion seed,
• (vi) forming an atmosphere of a nitrogen atom or nitrogen compound activated at an energy level lower than that of the ion seed in the reaction chamber,
• (vii) applying a negative bias voltage within a range of from -100 Volt to -10 KV to the substrate, and
• (viii) vacuum-depositing a boron component on the substrate from the vaporized source and simultaneously irradiating the substrate with the ion seed while maintaining the atomic ratio (B/N) between boron and nitrogen supplied from the vacuum deposition source and the ion seed within a range of from 0.2 to 10.