An AuFe ordered alloy was synthesized by alternately depositing monatomic layers of Au and Fe. The thermal stability and interdiffusion were investigated by using X-ray diffraction. The results for the AuFe thin films revealed definite superlattice lines which corresponded to the L10-type ordered structure, although no intermediate phase or intermetallic compound was known to exist in the Au-Fe equilibrium phase diagram. At 473K, the L10-type ordered structure was maintained for 10ks before the structure changed to the metastable disordered structure. The interdiffusivity was deduced from the decay-rate of the superlattice peak intensity. The interdiffusivity at 473K was estimated to be equal to 1.7 x 10-25m2/s for the L10-type ordered phase. This value was in good agreement with that extrapolated from the bulk interdiffusivity at high temperatures.

Thermal Stability and Interdiffusion in Artificial L10-Type Ordered AuFe Alloy Fabricated by Alternate Monatomic Deposition. H.Nakajima, K.Takanashi, S.Mitani, H.Fujimori: Materials Transactions, 1998, 39[12], 1180-4