The stabilization of B.C.C. Cu in Cu/Nb nanolayered composites

Materials with compositionally modulated structures have gained much attention recently due to potential improvement in electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties. Specifically, Cu-Nb laminate systems have been extensively studied mainly due to the combination of high strength, and superior thermal and electrical conductivity that can be obtained and optimized for the different applications. The effect of layer thickness on the hardness, residual stress and electrical resistivity has been investigated. In general, increases in hardness and electrical resistivity have been observed with decreasing layer thickness. In addition, reduction in structural scale has caused the formation of a metastable structure which exhibits uniquely different properties. In this study, we report the formation of b.c.c. Cu in highly textured Cu/Nb nanolayers. A series of Cu/Nb nanolayered films, with alternating Cu and Nb layers, were prepared by dc magnetron sputtering onto Si {100} wafers. The nominal total thickness of each layered film was 1 μm. The layer thickness was varied between 1 nm and 500 nm with the volume fraction of the two phases kept constant at 50%. The deposition rates and film densities were determined through a combination of profilometry and ion beam analysis techniques. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) was used to examine the structure, phase and grain size distribution of the as-sputtered films. A JEOL 3000F high resolution TEM was used to characterize the microstructure.