ATOMIC MIXING INDUCED IN METALLIC BILAYERS BY HIGH ELECTRONIC EXCITATIONS

It has been recently established that high levels of energy deposition in electronic excitations can induce damage creation in a few metalli c targets as soon as the linear rate of energy deposition in electroni c excitation is of the order of a few 10 keV/nm. The present study is aimed at determining whether high electronic excitations can induce in terdiffusion at the interface of metallic bilayers. Ni/Ti bilayers wer e irradiated at 80 K with GeV Ta ions up to a few 10(13) ions/cm(2). D amage creation and mixing were followed using various methods: X-ray a nd neutron reflectometry, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and e lectron energy loss on transverse cuts. A very strong mixing is observ ed at the Ni/Ti interface as a result of high electronic excitations.