Dissolution of thin TaV2 during annealing of Ta/TaV2/V tri-layer below the order-disorder temperature

In this research, we provide first experimental evidence on the dissolution of a thin compound layer sandwiched between the parent materials when it is heated below the order-disorder temperature. The Ta(10 nm)/TaV₂(6 nm)/V(30 nm) system, prepared by DC magnetron sputtering, has been chosen to prove the expected simulation results. The samples were investigated mainly by secondary neutral mass spectrometry. The about 6 nm thick TaV₂ compound layer was dissolved by annealing at 1025 °C for 1 h. Then, it was reformed by increasing the annealing time to 2–3 h. These results prove our previous computer kinetic Monte Carlo and Kinetic mean field calculations. These findings are important for nanotechnologies utilizing early stages of solid state reactions.