Morphology of Solid-Solid Phase Transformations during Thin Film Interdiffusion

本研究旨在了解最近发现的固-固相变中形态不稳定的现象。所研究的几何结构是金属薄膜通过氧化层扩散到下层金属的过程。在这些条件下，界面不稳定可能导致界面微面化。实验旨在观察沉积在铝上的铜膜的转变，并验证为预测结果而提出的工作假设。采用热段透射电镜测量不稳定波长和氧化层厚度。轮廓仪测量提供了一个检查氧化层厚度测量的显微镜。这项资助的结果可能会影响重要的技术过程，如不同材料的扩散键合和/或基底与金属薄膜的反应。

This research is aimed at understanding a recently discovered phenomenon of morphological instability in solid-solid phase transformations. The geometry under study is the diffusion of a thin metal film through an oxide layer into an underlying metal. Interface instabilities may occur under these conditions leading to microfacetting at the interface. Experiments are designed to observe the transformation in copper films deposited onto aluminum and test a working hypothesis developed to predict the results. Hot stage transmission electron microscopy is employed to measure instability wavelengths and oxide layer thicknesses. Profilometer measurements provide a check on the oxide layer thicknesses measured by microscopy. %%% The results of this grant could impact important processes in technology, such as diffusion bonding of different materials and/or reactions of substrates with thin metal films.