Diffusion of Sputtered Vanadium, Nickel, and Silver in Lead Magnesium Niobate Ceramic

Abstract

The sputtering of nickel‐vanadium (Ni‐V) and silver (Ag) to form thin films on lead magnesium niobate (PMN) ceramic substrates has been studied. An empirical equation was derived which correlated the average Ni‐V film thickness with three sputtering variables: input power, argon pressure, and sputtering time. The films were dense, smooth, and feature less. Upon annealing at 800°C in argon, both Ni and V diffused into PMN; but reverse diffusion from the ceramic into the metal film was not observed. Vanadium diffused at a faster rate than Ni, leaving pores in the film. The diffusion coefficient of Ni in PMN was determined to be 4.1 × 10 −12 cm 2 /s, whereas the diffusion coefficient of V was determined to be between 3.5 × 10 −9 and 2.9 × 10 −11 cm 2 /s at 800°C. Sputtered Ag was also dense, smooth, and featureless. However, the diffusion of Ag at 800°C in PMN was much slower than that of either Ni or V.