Surface enhancement for Raman scattering of single crystal cubic boron nitride (c-BN) (1 1 1) and polycrystalline cubic BN was observed by depositing silver nanoparticles on the substrate surface. The c-BN samples were subjected to hydrogen plasma, as well as deuterium plasma treatment to observe the isotopic shift of surface binding species. Characteristic Raman peaks corresponding to the molecular vibrational modes of surface chemisorbed hydrogen and deuterium could be observed for the first time and were assigned according to ab initio molecular orbital calculations. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.