Superior thermal stability in Ag/Nb multilayers by different interfacial structures
M. Z. Wei,
J. Z. Huo,
C. Z. Ye,
Z. H. Cao
Affiliations
M. Z. Wei
Institute of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Linyi University, Shandong 276000, People’s Republic of China
J. Z. Huo
Institute of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Linyi University, Shandong 276000, People’s Republic of China
C. Z. Ye
Institute of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Linyi University, Shandong 276000, People’s Republic of China
Z. H. Cao
Institute of Materials Engineering, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu 210093, People’s Republic of China
In this work, the thermal stability of annealed Ag/Nb multilayers was investigated as the individual layer thickness (h) varies from 1 nm to 100 nm. The lamellar structures remain unchanged after annealing at 500 °C for 1 h, and the hardness at all scales remains undiminished after annealing. The results show that two low energy interfaces are responsible for the superior thermal stabilities. The coherent interface is formed when h < 20 nm, and the amorphous interface is formed when h ≥ 20 nm, respectively. The evolution of interfacial structures and the process of solid state amorphization are discussed accordingly.
