  Beryllium nitride thin films were grown on silicon substrates by laser
ablating a beryllium foil in molecular nitrogen ambient. The composition and
chemical state were determined with Auger (AES), X-Ray photoelectron (XPS) and
energy loss (EELS) spectroscopies. A low absorption coefficient in the visible
region, and an optical bandgap of 3.8 eV, determined by reflectance
ellipsometry, were obtained for films grown at nitrogen pressures higher than
25 mTorr. The results show that the reaction of beryllium with nitrogen is very
effective using this preparation method, producing high quality films.
