Use of the SUNY microbeam to investigate effects of mechanical treatment on metal/metal interdiffusion kinetics

The SUNY Albany rastered microbeam has been used to investigate the effects of mechanical pretreatment on metal/metal interdiffusion kinetics. Gating on different regions of a RBS spectrum can be used to create ''diffusion maps'' that reveal the lateral dependence of metal/metal interdiffusion. Al/Hf/Al multilayer thin films were prepared and subjected to a mechanical force applied at one point. Interdiffusion kinetics of Al and Hf was then studied by annealing these samples and using the microbeam to measure RBS spectra as a function of distance from the point of mechanical treatment. It is found that the mechanical pretreatment can have a large effect on the Al/Hf/Al interdiffusion. (orig.)