Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik

MM 35: Additive Manufacturing / Transport in Materials III

MM 35.3: Talk

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 16:15–16:30, SCH/A216

Diffusion processes in magnetron sputtered copper-gold thin films: layer design, argon pressure tuning and Kirkendall effect — •Oliver Wipf and Ralph Spolenak — Departement of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland

Controlled Kirkendall voiding is a promising diffusion process to fabricate hollow nano- and micro-structures. This work extends the understanding and use of the Kirkendall effect as a route to fabricate voids in magnetron sputtered copper-gold thin films, a process with a high degree of control over the deposited thin films and a pathway to scalable, novel applications of diffusion self-organized thin film technology.
To study the diffusion in the thin films, double and triple layered samples were fabricated using low and high argon gas pressures during the deposition. Annealing of the samples resulted in large voids located at the wafer to film interface and in the center of the film, depending on the layer structure. Using a comprehensive diffusion study, we demonstrate that diffusion in copper-gold thin film diffusion couples is dominated by vacancies moving, which leads to the growth of Kirkendall voids.

Keywords: Diffusion; Kirkendall effect; Thin Film