Hiroshi Konno

Some Observation on the Crystal Surfaces of Cubic Boron Nitride

Crystal surfaces of cubic boron nitride synthesized at 55 to 60 k bars an d 1600 to 1800°C and identified by X ray diffraction analysis, has been observed optically. Although cubic boron nitride has similar structure to diamond, it shows somewhat different aspect of crystal growth from diamond. The most dominant crystal face is (111). However it must be emphasized that (110) face prefers to appear more frequently than (100) face in cubic boron nitride in this experimental condition. The crystal growth of cubic boron nitride is by means of plane sheet growth on the (111) face as in diamond and two types of plane sheet growth are observed; one is the growth of various shapes of layers on (111) face and another the growth of triangular pyramids on (111) face.