Application of cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy in the characterization of ion beam processed materials surfaces

Abstract

AbstractIon‐beam‐mixing‐induced amorphization of NiTi bilayered thin film and the amorphization of α‐SiC through ion bombardment have been studied by employing cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy techniques. Rutherford backscattering analysis was employed to monitor the mixing of NiTi bilayer as a function of dose (3 × 1015−2 × 1016 ions cm−2) of 1 MeV Au+ ions. It has been observed that amorphization starts at the interface as the mixing proceeds. Formation of a buried amorphous layer was obtained in α‐SiC by ion bombardment with 2.5 MeV Ni+ at a dose of 1 × 1016 ions cm−2. Double energy implants (1 MeV Ni+, 1 × 1016 ions cm−2+2 MeV Ni+, 1 × 1016 ions cm−2) were employed to obtain 1.8 μm thick continuous amorphous layer on the surface of α‐SiC. Also, in the present investigation, it has been shown that α‐SiC pieces with amorphous surface layers joined better than those with as received crystalline surface layers.