INTERFACE STUDIES OF HYDROGENATED CARBON-FILMS ON AMORPHOUS ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS

The interface structure of amorphous hydrogenated carbon films on Ni64Zr36 and Fe91Zr9 metallic glasses is studied by photoelectron spectroscopy using sputter depth profiling. On both samples, a selective zirconium carbide formation is observed while the seond alloy constituent does not react with the impinging C(n)H(m)+ fragments. Depth profiles and core level binding energy shifts indicate a zirconium segregation at the interface in the case of Ni64Zr36 which can be explained by the large energy of formation of zirconium carbide compared with that of nickel carbide. The formation of zirconium carbide in both samples can be confirmed with C 1s and Zr 3d binding energies.