Analysis of grain boundary diffusion in bimetallic thin film structures using Auger electron spectroscopy

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Abstract
The feasibility of using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) for solute grain boundary diffusion measurements in thin films is explored in this investigation. Diffusion couples of a sandwiched Al/Cu/Al structure were prepared by sequential deposition in the same pumpdown. The composition profile was determined before and after annealing with an AES system which employed argon sputtering for thin film sectioning. It is shown that both the lattice and grain boundary diffusivities can be extracted from the solute profile based on the Whipple analysis of grain boundary diffusion. At 175°C, the grain boundary diffusivity αDbδ for Cu in Al was determined to be 4.3×10−20 cm3/sec with an estimated error of ±7% from the ion etching damage. The agreement between our measured lattice diffusivity and radioactive tracer data is satisfactory. Some of the problems associated with the AES method for diffusion studies are discussed.

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