Amorphization of Hf-Ni films by solid-state reaction

Abstract

We report on a detailed study of a new process to produce amorphous binary alloys by solid-state reaction of the elemental constituents from an initially thin-layer configuration. The Ni-Hf system was selected on the basis of the criteria that a fast diffuser (Ni) and a large binary heat of mixing drives the solid-state reaction at temperatures so low (∼ 300 °C) that nucleation and growth of the crystalline phases are suppressed and the amorphous phase becomes the lowest accessible state of free energy. Backscattering spectrometry, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy are used to monitor the atomic composition profile and the microstructure of the samples. The kinetics of the amorphous phase formation is consistent with the diffusion-limited growth of a laterally uniform amorphous layer. The substantial and approximately linear composition gradient of the amorphous layer reflects the low atomic mobility of the atoms in the amorphous phase and the broad existence range of the amorphous phase in the binary Ni-Hf system. The latter is consistent with predictions based on the calculated equilibrium free-energy diagram of the system.