Influence of boron impurities on the crystal structure of cubic boron nitride

The influence of boron impurities on the unit cell parameters of the boron nitride with a sphalerite structure is investigated. It is demonstrated that the presence of boron in amounts exceeding the stoichiometric composition leads to a distortion of the cubic lattice and reduces its symmetry. The revealed oriented distortion of the crystal lattice of the cubic boron nitride is explained by the incorporation of excess boron atoms not in a random manner but between paired corrugated hexagonal layers. Original Russian Text ? S.P. Bogdanov, 2008, published in Fizika i Khimiya Stekla.