GPa and ~0.3 GPa for the films deposited with and without Xe, respectively. Although the residual stress exhibits a relatively large increase upon growth with Xe, it is noted that the absolute stress level of ~0.8 GPa is still low, particularly for boron carbide films. An increased tensile film stress when adding Xe to the process can be attributed to the associated increase in partial pressure of the reactive species which, in turn, leads to a shorter diffusion length and reduced admolecular mobility during film nucleation. Such conditions typically lead to the formation of less dense films and development of more tensile growth stresses. These observations imply that the deposition process could achieve conformality within features possessing an aspect ratio as high as 50:1. The CVD process demonstrated reduced penetration depths in the structures with extended lengths. This phenomenon is likely attributable to the inhibited back diffusion of precursor, suggesting the considerable length of these structures, though a deeper understanding requires further studies. Consequently, it is possible to infer that conformal growth might be attainable even in structures with aspect ratios surpassing 50:1.