Raman studies on the effect of multiple-energy ion implantation on single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride

Single energy ion implantation of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) at various fluences and keV energies has shown that there is a change in the local symmetry of the crystal from hexagonal to the cubic (c-BN) symmetry. These conclusions have been primarily based on Raman scattering (RS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses have been a challenge because the sample preparation for cross-sectional study of both the polycrystalline substrates and single-crystal material used in the study presented problems that were difficult to circumvent. A multiple-energy implant with different fluence fractions has been used to create a uniform implanted layer in the material from the surface to the end of range of the implant in this study. We report on the initial RS studies on these samples.