ABSTRACTLattice defects and precipitates induced in unimplanted and Sb-implanted <110> single crystal Al by single pulse irradiation with a Q-switched ruby laser were studied using ion beam analysis and electron microscopy. The absorbed laser energy during irradiation is directly measured in these studies to allow precise numerical modeling of the melt times and temperature profiles. For unimplanted Al, slip deformation gives rise to increased channeled yields throughout the analyzed depth and occurs for energies well below the melt threshold energy of 3.5 J/cm2. Slip deformation is also observed for irradiation energies above the melt threshold energy, and melting is accompanied by a discontinuous increase in the minimum channeling yield, X min- Implanted Sb (to ∼2 at.% peak concentrations) is found to impede epitaxial regrowth and result in polycrystalline Al formation for laser energies such that the melt front is believed not to penetrate through the Sb-containing region. For deeper melt depths, a metastable alloy is formed with up to 35% of the Sb located in substitutional sites. AlSb precipitate formation in the melt was not observed for room temperature irradiations; however, randomly oriented AlSb precipitates are observed for irradiation at substrate temperatures of 100 and 200 °C These measurements yield an estimated time for nucleation of AlSb precipitates in molten Al of 5 nsec < tnuc < 25 nsec.
Free-Energy Calculation of Precipitate Nucleation in an Fe-Cu-Ni Alloy
