Laser ablation deposition of Cu-Ni and Ag-Ni films: Nonconservation of alloy composition and film microstructure

Abstract

Laser ablation deposition was used to grow polycrystalline Cu-Ni and Ag-Ni thin films on amorphous substrates at room temperature. X-ray diffraction was employed to determine the phases present and the residual macrostress and to analyze the structural imperfection in terms of crystallite size and microstrain. For confirmation and complementary microstructural data transmission electron microscopy was applied. Analysis of the gross composition was achieved by electron probe microanalysis and x-ray fluorescence. The films contained substantially less Cu and Ag than the targets, which was caused by preferential scattering of ablated Cu and Ag species upon incidence at the growing films. The Cu-Ni films were entirely composed of a CuxNi1−x solid solution. The Ag-Ni films were composed of a AgxNi1−x solid solution and of pure Ag and pure Ni. The nonequilibrium AgxNi1−x solid solution could contain up to 44 at. % Ag. The residual macrostress in the Cu-Ni films was compressive, whereas it was tensile in the Ag-Ni films. The occurrence of these stresses could be interpreted as due to the combined effects of atomic peening and cooling after deposition and, in the case of the Ag-Ni films, of stress relaxation by partial decomposition of the AgxNi1−x solid solution during film growth. The microstrains in the AgxNi1−x solid solutions were higher than in similarly prepared pure elemental Ag and Ni films. Compositional inhomogeneity of the AgxNi1−x solid solution crystallites contributed in particular to this effect. The strain-free lattice parameters of the solid solutions were found to be in fair agreement with those predicted by Vegard’s law.

NiCu Alloy Nanoparticle-Loaded Carbon Nanofibers for Phenolic Biosensor Applications

“…Various techniques have been employed to prepare alloy nanoparticles, including electrodeposition [ 12 ], laser ablation deposition [ 13 ], hydrogen reduction [ 14 ], and chemical vapor deposition [ 15 ]. Electrospinning, as a facile process technique for the production of nanofibers, can also be used to prepare alloy nanoparticles by carbonizing electrospun metal precursor-containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers [ 16 , 17 ].…”

Wetting properties, recrystallization phenomena and interfacial reactions between laser treated Cu substrate and SAC305 solder

“…Cu 3 Sn forms a layer on the Cu substrate with a volume diffusion controlled process. Sn atomic diffusivities are different along various crystal orientations of Cu, and the most convenient in <100> direction [14].…”

Synthesis and formation mechanism of Ag–Ni alloy nanoparticles at room temperature

“…It is known that most of the Ag-Ni nanoparticles are core@shell structure because of the reduction of Ag + to Ag 0 is much faster than Ni 2+ to Ni 0 and the 14% lattice mismatch between the two metals. To overcome the large lattice mismatch and synthesize Ag-Ni alloy nanoparticles is a common purpose for related researchers [9][10][11][12][13]. For example, Mukesh et al [9] synthesized Ag-Ni alloy nanoparticles by reducing nickel nitrate hexahydrate and silver nitrate in the present of hexadecylamine in1-octadecene solution at 250 °C.…”

“…Quasi-sphere particles about 20 nm in diameter were confirmed to have excellent and unique catalytic and magnetic properties. Van et al [12] used laser ablation for production of Ag-Ni thin film on amorphous substrates. Though Ag-Ni film was obtained, both pure Ag and pure Ni were detected in the film, also Ag content was lower than expected.…”