Al85Gd8Ni5Co2 metallic glass was subjected to partial devitrification by high-pressure torsion, continuous heat treatment, and isothermal annealing. The fully amorphous alloy exhibits a well-defined transition in its first devitrification product during isothermal heat treatments from τm + α-Al phase mixture to primary α-Al by increasing the annealing temperature above 555 K. This thermal sensitivity predestinates the composition to identify the controversial thermal contribution of the plastic deformation in metallic glasses. Thermal stability and structure of the partially devitrified samples were systematically analyzed and compared by calorimetry, x-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. It seems that the effect of severe deformation cannot be singled out by a simple isothermal heat treatment; i.e., high-pressure torsion acts as a spectrum of heat treatments performed at different annealing temperatures.

We have investigated the tribomechanical properties of ion-beam-densified sol-gel zirconia overlayers on bulk zirconia. Ion irradiation of the sol-gel films leads to hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon losses as indicated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and forward recoil energy spectroscopy. Ellipsometry measurements show that the film thickness decreases with increasing dose. The microhardness exhibits an increase and subsequent decrease with dose. Friction measurements along with profilometry measurements indicate that severe abrasive wear of the film takes place in the first 1000 cycles after which point the substrate is in direct contact with the pin.

Annealing behavior in oxygen ambients of the of the ferroelectric PZT on Hf and Zr electrodes has been studied in the temperature range of 500-800°C using the 3.045MeV O16(∝,∝)O16 resonance in backscattering spectrometry. Internal oxidation of the buried metal electrode was observed. Oxygen concentration of the PZT film decreases with increasing temperature. Pb loss of the PZT film occurred above 700°C.

The solid phase reactions of Ni thin films with refractory wide bandgap semiconductor BP(100) were investigated both in the thermal process and the ion beam induced process with RBS, AES, XRD and XPS. In the thermal reaction process, reactions of Ni thin films with BP started around 350°C. Transient metastable phases were observed between 400°C and 450°C. The formation of the fully reacted crystalline phase with the mixture of NiB and Ni3P was observed at 450°C. At elevated temperatures above 600°C, mixture of phases with less Ni content was found to be formed. For the ion beam induced process inhomogeneous reaction was observed at LN2 and the reaction at RT showed an amorphous phase with the same composition as the first thermal phase. The reaction at 200°C induced the same crystalline phase as the first thermal phase. The reacted layer thickness as a function of the ion beam fluence between RT and 300°C increased linearly with the fluence by showing the thermal dependence with an activation energy of Ea=O.31±O, O6eV above 100°C.

Two problems connected with the growth of Ti-silicide have been investigated. It is shown if a silicon dioxide step on a single crystal of silicon covered with titanium is annealed then, following vertical growth on the silicon part, lateral growth of Ti-silicide takes place over the oxide layer. We also studied the problems of Ti-silicide growthon samples implanted with high doses of Sb, As, P, Ar and O prior to Ti evaporation.