Hydrogenated boron thin films have been deposited at temperatures in the range 50-1 O0 ~ with the radiofrequency plasma decomposition of diborane B2H 6 diluted in hydrogen. The chemical composition of the films has been determined by elastic recoil detection and by the Castaing microprobe techniques. We have found that the as-deposited films contain 10-20 at % H and that they react with the ambient atmosphere within a few days and reach a final composition close to Bo.84 Ho. 120o.12Co.o8 No.os. The optical properties of the as-deposited films studied by spectroscopic phase-modulated ellipsometry in the range 1.7-5.0 eV are characteristic of the high optical gap semiconductors. The electron diffraction measurements performed on in situ annealed samples show that the films are amorphous up to 950 ~ Infrared spectroscopy investigations performed on the as-deposited films have revealed two hydrogen bonding sites: B-H terminal bonds and B-H-B bridge bonds, along with some B-O-B groups. Upon exposure'to the atmosphere, the vanishing of B-H-B and B-O-B bridge bonds and the increase of B-H and B-O-H absorption bands after 1 day, are observed.
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