Glass transition and crystallization of amorphous Ni–Ti–Zr thin films by combinatorial nano-calorimetry

Abstract

The glass transition and devitrification of Ni–Ti–Zr thin films were analyzed as a function of composition using a high-throughput array of nano-calorimeters. The 290 nm thin-film samples were heated to 900 °C at a rate of approximately 15 × 103 K s–1, resulting in nanocrystalline grains and non-equilibrium phases. The calorimetry scans reveal the glass transition, as well as a multi-stage crystallization process. Features of the calorimetry traces correlate one-to-one with the resulting crystal phases, as determined by X-ray diffraction.