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Novel twinned Al3Sc dendrites in as-casted Al–Sc alloy

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Graphical abstract

Al-Sc alloys with high Sc contents are served as sputtering targets for making high performance piezoelectric devices. The microstructure of these alloys would affect the sputtering process and the final quality of the functional devices. In this study, the microstructure in as-casted Al-20%Sc (atomic fraction) alloys is characterized and the feathery Al3Sc grains with twin relationships are reported for the first time. The crystallographic features of twined structures and growth directions are quantitatively analysed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique. The twinning plane is parallel to {111} planes and growth direction is along <110> directions in Al3Sc. In addition, the twinned structures are affected by both the Sc content and cooling rate. The twinned grains are found in the alloy with high Sc content rather than lower alloyed samples and the density of the twin boundaries increases with increasing the cooling rate due to the refinement of the microstructure.

摘要

高Sc含量Al-Sc合金靶材是用于制造高性能压电器件的重要材料。AlSc合金的微观结构显著影响靶材溅射工艺以及功能器件的最终质量。在本研究中，作者对铸态Al-20% Sc（原子分数）合金的微观结构进行了详细表征，并首次报道了具有孪晶关系的羽毛状Al3Sc晶粒。作者采用电子背散射衍射技术（EBSD）定量分析了孪晶结构和生长方向的晶体学特征。结果发现：在Al3Sc合金的铸态组织中，孪晶面平行于{111}面，生长方向沿<110>方向。此外，孪晶结构受Sc含量和冷却速率的影响显著。在高Sc含量的合金中发现了孪晶，而低S含量的合金中则没有发现孪晶。由于微观结构的细化，孪晶的密度随着冷却速度的增加而增加。

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFB0405901).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metals and Processes, GRIMAT Engineering Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing, 101407, China

    Xing-Quan Wang & Song-Xiao Hui

  2. GRIKIN Advanced Material Co., Ltd., Beijing, 102200, China

    Yu Wang, Qian Jia, Zhao-Chong Ding & Jin-Jiang He

  3. Beijing Technology Research Center for Sputtering Target Material Engineering of High Pure Metals, Beijing, 102200, China

    Yu Wang, Qian Jia, Zhao-Chong Ding & Jin-Jiang He

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  1. Xing-Quan Wang
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Wang, XQ., Wang, Y., Jia, Q. et al. Novel twinned Al3Sc dendrites in as-casted Al–Sc alloy. Rare Met. 42, 838–843 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02276-2

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