Evaluation of Selected Materials Processing Applications for Continuous Wave Lamp Annealing

摘要

Research was directed at investigating the viability of cw lamp annealing as a technique for the surface modification of materials by forming new compositions from an initially deposited thin film. Samples for annealing and characterization were selected from three groups of materials systems designed to evaluate the role of driving force and final state in the annealing process. The three systems chosen were: (1) the recrystallization of A1, with an increase in grain size as the final state; (2) the formations of noble and refractory metal silicides, with a chemical compound comprising the final state, and (3) the interdiffusion of metallic species as illustrated by Cr and Ni deposited on Fe, with an admixture or alloy as the final state. Results showed that in each system the atoms of interest moved large distances (20 to 1000 Angstroms). The research team projected that cw lamp annealing will be widely used for integrated circuit manufacturing in a few years and may well find metallurgical applications.