Multiple low-temperature interface reactions: An alternative route into the amorphous state of metallic alloys

During the preparation of thin Au/In multilayers (0.39/1.2 nm, total thickness 48 nm) by ion-beam sputtering at 86 K, periodic interface reactions were observed by an Iin situP measurement of the electrical resistivity. The resulting phase was identified as amorphous ${\mathrm{Au}}_{\mathit{x}}$ ${\mathrm{In}}_{1\mathrm{-}\mathit{x}}$ with compositions x which were controlled by the choice of the individual Au and In layer thicknesses. The formation of these amorphous phases was restricted to a thin interface region (<6 nm) and, most important, could not be obtained by long-range diffusion of thick Au/In multilayers.