PT-CR THIN-FILM INTERDIFFUSION PROCESSES AND PHASE-FORMATION ON HIGH-PURITY FE (99.998-PERCENT) SUBSTRATES

AES with composition depth profiling and RBS were used to study the th ermal interdiffusion between thin Pt and Cr films which were vapour de posited on Fe substrates. An annealing temperature of 400-degrees-C (H V, 1 h) did not yield any detectable alloy or intermetallic phases whi le for 500-degrees-C (HV, 1 h) the phase Pt3Cr was observed. At 600-de grees-C (HV, 1 h) the phases PtCr and PtCr2 were observed, the latter of which is not currently indicated on the phase diagram. The existenc e of the phases was confirmed by making use of XRD. The amount and nat ure of impurities, e.g. (C, N, O), accumulating in the overlayers or a t the interfaces depended on the annealing temperature and the thickne ss of the surface Pt layer.