Determination of size effects during the phase transition of a nanoscale Au-Si eutectic

The phase diagram of a nanoscale system can be substantially different than in the bulk, but quantitative measurements have proven elusive. Here we use in situ microscopy to observe a phase transition in a nanoscale system, together with a simple quantitative model to extract the size effects from t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2009-10, Vol.103 (15), p.155701-155701, Article 155701
Main Authors: Kim, B J, Tersoff, J, Wen, C-Y, Reuter, M C, Stach, E A, Ross, F M
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The phase diagram of a nanoscale system can be substantially different than in the bulk, but quantitative measurements have proven elusive. Here we use in situ microscopy to observe a phase transition in a nanoscale system, together with a simple quantitative model to extract the size effects from these measurements. We expose a Au particle to disilane gas, and observe the transition from a two-phase Au + AuSi system to single-phase AuSi. Size effects are evident in the nonlinear disappearance of the solid Au. Our analysis shows a substantial shift in the liquidus line, and a discontinuous change in the liquid composition at the transition. It also lets us estimate the liquid-solid interfacial free energy.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.155701