Phase constitution and interface structure of nano-sized Ag-Cu/AlN multilayers: Experiment and <i>ab initio</i> modeling

Abstract

Nano-sized Ag-Cu8nm/AlN10nm multilayers were deposited by reactive DC sputtering on α-Al2O3(0001) substrates. Investigation of the phase constitution and interface structure of the multilayers evidences a phase separation of the alloy sublayers into nanosized grains of Ag and Cu. The interfaces between the Ag grains and the quasi-single-crystalline AlN sublayers are semi-coherent, whereas the corresponding Cu/AlN interfaces are incoherent. The orientation relationship between Ag and AlN is constant throughout the entire multilayer stack. These observations are consistent with atomistic models of the interfaces as obtained by ab initio calculations.