The diffusion of implanted 195Au in amorphous Si3N4- and Si4N3-layers was investigated by means of a radiotracer technique. Except for as-produced a-Si4N3, in which pronounced structural relaxation took place during diffusion annealing, 195Au was found to diffuse via interstitial-like mechanisms. A sudden freezing of the 195Au-diffusivity in pre-annealed a-Si4N3 below about 880C was attributed to a disorder–order phase transition.

Diffusion of 195Au in Amorphous Si3N4 and Si4N3. T.Voss, S.Matics, A.Strohm, W.Frank, G.Bilger, Isolde: Physica B, 2001, 308-310, 431-3