The high power pulsed ion beam mixing of a titanium layer with an aluminum substrate

This paper describes the MPOS application as an ion beam source for Ti film/Al substrate mixing. Single layer 500 nm films of titanium were deposited on aluminum 6061-T6 samples and then irradiated by an ion beam. The ion beam energy was between 200 and 250 keV, the pulse length was 100 ns and the ion current density was between 10 and 150 A/cm(2). Characterization of the treated samples was done using the SEM, EDAX and Auger spectroscopy. Numerical calculations of the phase transitions in this system have been done, to estimate the ion current density needed for effective melting and mixing of the films and substrate. According to Auger analysis, significant mixing of the Ti film and Al substrate occurs up to depths of 1.3 mu m. Corrosion tests have shown improved corrosion resistance for the mixed layer in comparison with the untreated film. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.