Interdiffusion behavior of Hg in HgTe/CdTe superlattices grown on Cd0.96Zn0.04 Te (211)B substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

Double-crystal x-ray rocking curve (DCRC) and secondary-ion mass-spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements have been performed to investigate the effect of rapid thermal annealing on the interdiffusion behavior of Hg in HgTe/CdTe superlattices grown on Cd_0.96Zn_0.04Te (211)B substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The sharp satellite peaks of the DCRC measurements on a 100-period HgTe/CdTe (100Å/100Å) superlattice show a periodic arrangement of the superlattice with high-quality interfaces. The negative direction of the entropy change obtained from the diffusion coefficients as a function of the reciprocal of the temperature after RTA indicates that the Hg diffusion for the annealed HgTe/CdTe superlattice is caused by an interstitial mechanism. The Cd and the Hg concentration profiles near the annealed HgTe/CdTe superlattice interfaces, as measured by SIMS, show a nonlinear behavior for Hg, originating from the interstitial diffusion mechanism of the Hg composition. These results indicate that a nonlinear interdiffusion behavior is dominant for HgTe/CdTe superlattices annealed at 190°C and that the rectangular shape of HgTe/CdTe superlattices may change to a parabolic shape because of the intermixing of Hg and Cd due to the thermal treatment.     

Selective oxidation of Fe-30Ni alloy in a low-temperature range (433–473 K)

Fe-30Ni alloy specimens were oxidized for 10–240 min at 433–473 K in pure oxygen at a pressure of 1.33×10⁴ Pa. The thickness of oxide films was measured by a multiple-angle-of-incidence ellipsometer. The kinetics of film growth were found to obey a parabolic rate law. The depth-profiling of oxidized surfaces, performed with simultaneous use of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and argon-ion sputter-etching technique, reveals that iron component is selectively oxidized and an iron-depeletion zone is formed in the underlying alloy. The thickness of the iron depletion zone increases with increasing oxidation time or oxidation temperature. During surface oxidation of the alloy, the transport rate of iron component in the film is almost equal to the interdiffusion rate in the underlying alloy, indicating the establishment of a steady state. The values of the interdiffusion coefficient, , of the underlying alloy estimated from the depth-composition profiles are more than 10 orders of magnitude as large as the values extrapolated from the lattice diffusion data of the corresponding alloy obtained at high temperature. The enormously large values of may be explained in terms of the vacancy (monovacancy or divacancy)-enhanced lattice diffusion mechanism.     

Films formed from polystyrene latex/clay composites: A fluorescence study

This study reports a steady-state fluorescence (SSF) technique for studying film formation from surfactant-free polystyrene (PS) latex and Na-montmorillonite (SNaM) composites. The composite films were prepared from pyrene (P)-labeled PS particles and SNaM clay at room temperature and annealed at elevated temperatures in 10-min intervals above glass transition temperature (t₃) of polystyrene. During the annealing processes, the transparency of the film improved considerably. Scattered light (I_s) and fluorescence intensity (I_p) from P were measured after each annealing step to monitor the stages of film formation. Evolution of transparency of composite films was monitored by using photon transmission intensity, I_tr. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to detect the variation in physical structure of annealed composite films. Minimum film formation temperature, T_q, and healing temperatures, T_h, were determined. Void closure and interdiffusion stages were modeled and related activation energies were determined. It was observed that both activation energies increased as the percent of SNaM was increased in composite films.     

Diffusion and interdiffusion in Zn-disordered AlAs-GaAs superlattices

Several superlattices (SL's) with different layer thicknesses, grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), were disordered via low temperature (550?600°C) Zn diffusions to investigate layer thickness effects on both the Zn diffusion process and the Al-Ga interdiffusion process. The Zn diffusion coefficients were measured using secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and found to be ?10^?12 cm²/sec, increasing somewhat with decreasing layer thickness. The activation energy for the Zn diffusion process ranged from 3.1 eV for an 1100Å/period SL to 2.1 eV for a 320Å/period SL. The Al-Ga interdiffusion coefficient and the activation energy associated with the interdiffusion process were calculated from AES depth profiles. The coefficient is on the order of 10^?16 cm²/sec and the activation energy is approximately 1 eV, independent of the SL layer thickness.     

Fe-Co薄膜与Al2O3 基体相互扩散和相互作用相关的微观结构演变

利用先进分析透射电子显微镜,检测并系统地研究了磁控溅射Fe-Co薄膜与Al₂O₃基体之间的相互扩散。结果表明,扩散会形成尖晶石相FeAl₂O₄,并导致界面层的形成。微观结构表征表明,在界面附近的Fe-Co薄膜中形成了与相互扩散相关的非公度结构。本研究不仅检测到Fe-Co薄膜与蓝宝石基体之间的相互扩散和伴随的新相形成,而且揭示了界面区域相应的微观结构演变,这些结果可能对薄膜的磁学性质有很大的影响。     

SPS烧结W-10Ti合金的组织和性能

采用放电等离子烧结(SPS)技术制备了W-10Ti合金。通过扫描电镜和能谱分析了合金的微观组织,利用Den Broeder方法计算了合金的互扩散系数,测试了合金的密度和显微硬度,并与真空烧结的合金进行了对比。结果表明:与真空烧结相比,SPS烧结的合金组织均匀,富钛相少且细小,W在富钛相中的固溶度和Ti在富钨相中的固溶度都有所增加,且Ti在富钨相中的固溶度增加得更多。W-Ti合金的互扩散系数与W的摩尔浓度有一定的依赖关系,随着W摩尔浓度的升高呈先减小后增大趋势,SPS烧结的合金互扩散系数比真空烧结高出2个数量级。SPS法制备的W-Ti合金相对密度为96.1%,显微硬度HV0.05为5.21 GPa。     

U-10Zr/Zr-4合金界面的微观结构及生长动力学研究

Zr-4合金包壳包覆的U-Zr合金有望发展成为水冷反应堆的金属型核燃料。而燃料与包壳材料之间的相容性是反应堆安全运行的关键,但是,关于U-Zr合金燃料与Zr-4合金包壳材料界面元素扩散和反应的研究很少。为研究U-Zr合金与Zr-4合金之间的相容性和扩散行为,采用真空热压扩散法制备U-10wt.%Zr/Zr-4扩散偶,随后在高真空中580-1100℃高温热处理样品。采用扫描电镜和透射电镜分析检测扩散偶的界面微观结构和元素分布。系统研究了两种合金之间的相容性。δ-UZr₂层和厚约20nm的富铀层形成于热压扩散法制备的样品界面。测量了合金界面扩散系数常数和扩散激活能,分别为4.23(±0.63)×10^-6 m²/s和160.73(±1.67) kJ/mol。结果表明U-10wt.%Zr/Zr-4扩散偶的扩散系数大于U-Zr合金的,特别是在低温段。     

固体中的扩散应力研究

固体中原子的互扩散行为导致的扩散应力不仅可以引起材料的宏观变形,而且可能在材料内部形成特殊的微观组织．系统阐述了固体中原子扩散与应力之间的相互作用问题,区别了应力扩散与扩散应力的概念,并通过流点体积生长率的推导,建立了互扩散区域内流点应力、应变与原子扩散流之间的变量关系,提出描述固态互扩散区域内扩散应力与应变的一般理论．在此基础上,分析了固态反应周期层片型结构的形成机理和薄片扩散偶的扩散弯曲问题,并提供了相应的理论解释．     

Phase-field investigation of multicomponent diffusion in single-phase and two-phase diffusion couples

Interdiffusion in hypothetical ternary single-phase and two-phase diffusion couples are examined using a phase-field model by numerically solving the nonlinear Cahn-Hilliard and Ginzburg-Landau equations. For diffusion couples assembled with a regular single-phase solution, constant chemical mobilities were used to examine the development of concentration profiles including uphill diffusion and zero-flux plane. Zero-flux plane for a component was observed to develop for a diffusion couple at the composition that corresponds to the activity of that component in one of the terminal alloys. Experimental thermodynamic parameters and composition-dependent chemical mobilities were used to examine the morphological evolution of the interphase boundary in solid-to-solid, two-phase diffusion couples. Instability at the interphase boundary was introduced initially (t=0) by a small compositional fluctuation at the diffuse interface, and its evolution varied largely as a function of terminal alloys and related composition-dependent chemical mobility. This article was presented at the Multicomponent-Multiphase Diffusion Symposium in Honor of Mysore A. Dayananda, which was held during TMS 2006, the 135th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, March 12–16, 2006, in San Antonio, TX. The symposium was organized by Yongho Sohn of University of Central Florida, Carelyn E. Campbell of National Institute of Standards and Technology, Richard D. Sisson, Jr., of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and John E. Morral of Ohio State University.     

Phase transformations in thermally exposed Au-Al ball bonds

Gold-aluminum ball bonds were thermally exposed at constant elevated temperatures, and the resultant phase transformations studied in detail. The as-bonded microstructure of a Au-Al ball bond essentially consisted of a reaction zone (termed “alloyed zone” (AZ) in the as-bonded condition) between the Au bump and the bonded Al metallization. It is the growth of the reaction zone between the Au bump and the bonded Al metallization and also the nonbonded Al metallization during thermal exposure that gave rise to the various phase transformations. Au₄Al, Au₈Al₃, and Au₂Al are the predominant phases that grew across the ball bond until the bonded Al metallization is available to take part in the interdiffusion reactions. After the complete consumption of the bonded Al metallization, the Au-Al phases reverse transformed resulting in the formation of the Au₄Al phase in the entire reaction zone across the ball bond (RZ-A). The lateral interdiffusion reactions resulted in the nucleation and the growth of all of the Au-Al phases given by the phase diagram. Kidson’s analysis and Tu et al.’s treatment were extended to a five-phase binary system to explain the phase transformations in thermally exposed Au-Al ball bonds. It is possible for all of the Au-Al phases to grow across a ball bond uninhibited as long as the bonded metallization is available. However, the supply limitation of the bonded metallization gives rise to reverse transformations where Al-rich phases transform to Au-rich phases and eventually result in the formation of the Au₄Al phase in the entire RZ-A. If infinite time is allowed, Au₄Al would dissolve; the extent of which is dependent on the solubility of Al in Au. No supply of Au lateral to the bond causes the reverse transformation of the Au₄Al phase, giving rise to the lateral growth of the remaining Au-Al phases. If infinite time is allowed, the lateral phase transformations would result in the formation of a phase that is dependant on the relative proportion of Au and Al present in the nonbonded metallization (NBM) and Au₄Al below the void line. Hence, the presence of a phase in a particular location of a ball bond is dependent on the time and temperature of thermal exposure.