Formation of Au-Si Metastable Phases by Ion Mixing

Abstract

ABSTRACTAmorphous and three metastable crystalline phases have been formed in the Au-Si system by 300 keV Xe ion mixing using multilayered samples with average compositions of Au2Si8, AuSi, and Au7 Si3. Generally speaking, during the different stages of irradiation at liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT) or room temperature (R.T.), metastable crystalline phases are formed initially, and eventually an amorphous structure is obtained. Thermal decomposition of amorphous alloys yield different metastable crystalline phases. Some of the metastable crystalline phases can be formed directly from multilayered samples by steady-state thermal annealing. The formation mechanisms of metastable phases are discussed in terms of the processes involved in ion mixing and thermal annealing.