Solid-state amorphization in Al–Pt thin films

Abstract

Solid-state amorphization is reported to occur in aluminum-platinum thin films. A uniform amorphous alloy layer was observed at the interface between aluminum and platinum layers for electron beam evaporated samples in an as-deposited state. For a pure aluminum overlayer deposited on top of a coevaporated Al–Pt amorphous alloy, the aluminum dissolves into the amorphous phase leading to a fully amorphous sample. In this last case the amorphization is nonuniform upon low-temperature anneals (T < ≃2 200 °C) and gives rise to hole formation in the aluminum overlayer. Direct observations of this phenomenon during in situ annealing of the thin films in a transmission electron microscope were carried out.