On the validity of a thermal spike mixing model for low-Z metals

Abstract
Low temperature ion beam mixing rates for Cu-Ti, Ni-Ti, and Fe-Ti layers have been found to be significantly lower than predicted by a popular semi-empirical thermal spike model. It has been proposed that the unavoidable hydrogen contamination of the as-deposited Ti films may have reduced the mixing rates, but the measurement of even lower mixing rates for Fe-V and Fe-Co bilayers shows the discrepancy to be more fundamental. Still, a systematic dependence on heat of mixing suggests that some sort of diffusional (thermal spike?) mechanism is involved.

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