Reactive Solid State Dewetting: Interfacial Cavitation in the System Ag-Ni-O

Micron thick silver films, vapour deposited onto high purity polycrystalline nickel substrates, dewet the substrate after high temperature annealing in oxygen rich atmospheres, while the films remain stable after annealing at the same temperature in a nitrogen atmosphere. Dewetting occurs when a nickel oxide layer is formed at the silver-nickel interface as a consequence of oxygen diffusion through the silver film.The sensitivity of the dewetting process on various parameters such as the annealing: temperature, time and oxygen partial pressure has been determined.Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of cross-sections reveal that the main mechanism of dewetting at short annealing time is the nucleation of cavities at the Ag-NiO interface which grow towards the free surface of the Ag film. They are formed not only at Ag grain boundaries and triple junctions but also in the core of Ag grains. Such cavities do not occur when the Ag film is deposited onto a NiO single crystal. We propose a simple model for the cavitation: a vacancy supersaturation is sustained in Ag, at the Ag-NiO interface, as a result of oxygen consumption by the oxidation reaction. In regions of fast oxidation, the vacancy supersaturation is large enough to promote the nucleation and growth of interfacial cavities. The model qualitatively accounts for all the observed trends; quantitatively, on top of the vacancy supersaturation, extra-contributions to the driving force for cavitation must be invoked.