Ion-beam induced mixing in Al-Ni

Ion beam induced mixing of Al-Ni has been studied using N₂⁺ and Ar⁺ bombardment. High dose (4×10¹⁷ ions cm^–2) nitrogen bombardment was found to cause blister formation with no unambiguous evidence of mixing. However, using argon ions at elevated substrate temperatures (400–450 °C) led to extensive mixing of 2000 Å Al layers on Ni. The mixing mechanism is considered to be point defect mediated radiation enhanced diffusion with a possible contribution from cascade mixing and interfacial oxide layer breakdown during the initial stages of treatment.