Ion assisted growth of B4C diffusion barrier layers in Mo/Si multilayered structures

We investigated the thermal stability of e-beam deposited Mo/B4C/Si/B4C layered systems, with and without ion assistance during the growth of the B4C diffusion barrier layers. The thermal stability was investigated by in situ thermal annealing during grazing incidence X-ray reflection. By studying partially treated B4C barrier layers, we found that the improvement in thermal stability is caused by an enhanced density of the B4C layer. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3693992]