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Visualization of Kirkendall Voids at Cu-Au Interfaces by In Situ TEM Heating Studies

  • Mesoscale Materials Science: Experiments and Modeling
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Abstract

Gold-plated copper alloys are used extensively in electrical contacts where diffusional processes are known to cause contact degradation. An in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) heating study was carried out to provide fundamental understanding of the aging phenomena in reasonable timescales. Samples to visualize the interface in TEM were prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy and heated in situ up to 350°C while holding at intermediate temperatures to enable imaging. The grain boundaries in Au coatings, specifically the columnar boundaries, provided rapid pathways for diffusion of Cu all the way to the Au surface. This unequal diffusion created vacancies in Cu which coalesced into Kirkendall voids. This in situ technique has been applied to visualize the diffusion pathways in electroplated and sputtered Au films deposited directly on Cu, as well the role of Ni and NiP as barrier layers for mitigating Cu diffusion.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Damion Cummings for preparing the in situ FIB lift-outs and Rand Garfield for his help with sample preparation. The authors thank Aaron Velsquez (Theta Plate, Albuquerque, NM) and Andy Korenyi Both (Tribologix, Golden, CO) for their help with electroplating and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering, respectively. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. This paper describes objective technical results and analysis. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the US Department of Energy or the United States Government.

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  1. Material, Physical, and Chemical Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA

    Paul G. Kotula & Somuri V. Prasad

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  1. Paul G. Kotula
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Correspondence to Paul G. Kotula.

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Kotula, P.G., Prasad, S.V. Visualization of Kirkendall Voids at Cu-Au Interfaces by In Situ TEM Heating Studies. JOM 71, 3521–3530 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-019-03708-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-019-03708-0

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