Patent ID: 7396563

Claim:
A method of depositing a thin ceramic film onto a substrate comprising: providing a polymeric source selected from the group consisting of a boron nitride polymer, a carbon nitride polymer, a polysilane, a polycarbosilane, a polycarbosilazane or a polysiloxazane, the polymeric source comprising chains, volatilizing the polymeric source in a heating zone; providing the substrate in a deposition zone; heating the polymeric source under a gaseous atmosphere having a pressure and a flowrate in a pyrolysis zone, whereby pyrolyzing the polymeric source to produce a gaseous precursor at a first temperature comprising said chains of the polymeric source; positioning the substrate in the deposition zone to receive the gaseous precursors carried by the gaseous atmosphere; and cooling the substrate at a second temperature in the deposition zone below the first temperature whereby desublimating the gaseous precursor onto the substrate, the precursor chemically rearranging and annealing to produce the film on the substrate, the film having properties that include an amorphous nature, a crystallinity and a degree of reticulation.