Abstract
Silicide formation in bulk Fe-Si diffusion couples was studied. Couples were annealed in evacuated quartz capsules at temperatures ranging from 700 to 800 °C and for times as long as about 2 months. Microstructures were subsequently analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Three silicide phases were found in all couples examined— FeSi2, FeSi, and Fe3Si. Results concerning Fe3Si disagreed with the present Fe-Si phase diagram. The silicide is stoichiometric with almost no compositional range, whereas the phase diagram predicts a wide range of homogeneity. Growth kinetics for FeSi2 were quantified, and the activation energy for diffusion controlled βFeSi2 layer growth was calculated to be 0.83 eV or 80.4 kJ/mol.
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Baldwin, N.R., Ivey, D.G. Iron slicide formation in bulk iron-silicon diffusion couples. JPE 16, 300–307 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02645285
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02645285