Mass transfer of elements and structural-phase changes in heterogeneous thin-film systems under high-power ion beam treatment

Doping of material surface layers though mixing of multi-element thin films with the surface layer of the sample is a promising technological process currently being developed. This work reports the results of experimental investigation of mixing and structural-phase changes in heterogeneous Al-C and Al-Si systems under a high-power pulsed ion beam (HPIB) of carbon (70%) and hydrogen (30%). We measured the distribution of the element concentrations with respect to depth in the sample and phase composition of the heterogeneous systems before and after HPIB treatment. A comparison between the experimental and theoretical results shows that the key role in mass transfer for each element is the existence of concentration gradients for radiation defects. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.