Thermal stability of sputtered intermetallic Al-Au coatings
- Department of Physical Metallurgy and Materials Testing, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Franz-Josef-Strasse 18, A-8700 Leoben (Austria)
Recently, the authors have shown that single-phase Al{sub 2}Au coatings, prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, exhibit a dense columnar structure and highest hardness and indentation moduli of 8 and 144 GPa, respectively, within the Al-Au films investigated. This study focuses on the thermal stability of Al{sub 2}Au with respect to films containing more Al and Au having Al/Au at. % ratios of 4.32 and 1.85, respectively. Single-phase Al{sub 2}Au has the highest onset temperature for recovery of 475 deg. C and recrystallization of 575 deg. C. Upon annealing Au- and Al-rich films, their stresses deviate from the linear thermoelastic behavior at temperatures (T) above 200 and 450 deg. C, respectively, due to pores and metallic phases present. Metastable Au within the as-deposited Au-rich film is consumed by the growing intermetallic AlAu and AlAu{sub 2} phases at T{>=}450 deg. C, which themselves melt at {approx}625 deg. C. Due to nanometer scale segregations of Al, encapsulated by Al{sub 2}Au in Al-rich coatings, their melting point is reduced by {approx}85 deg. C to 575 deg. C. Dynamic thermal analyses up to 1100 deg. C in synthetic air reveal the single-phase Al{sub 2}Au films with a superior thermal stability and only negligible oxidation. At 750 deg. C, the mass gain is {approx}1.5 mg/cm{sup 2} after 50 h isothermal exposure. Based on the investigations, the authors can conclude that single-phase intermetallic Al{sub 2}Au films have a high potential for oxidation protection of sensitive materials.
- OSTI ID:
- 21020874
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 25, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1116/1.2757181; (c) 2007 American Vacuum Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1553-1813
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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