The diffusion of Nd into radio-frequency sputtered films was investigated by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry. The diffusion characteristics were obtained at 1100C, and the results revealed a time-dependent diffusion coefficient that reflected a transition, in the sputtered films, from amorphous to crystalline.

Diffusion of Neodymium into Sputtered Films of Tantalum Pentoxide. D.A.Sager, V.Apostolopoulos, J.S.Wilkinson: Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2002, 85[10], 2581-3