Adhesive Strength of Ni–Cu Surface Alloy Formation by Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beam

The paper presents the adhesive strength measurements of the Ni–Cu surface alloy formed on a copper substrate at a different thickness of the transition layer. The formation of the surface alloy is provided by the low-energy high-current electron beam of a microsecond duration; the different thickness of the transition layer is varied by the thickness of the nickel film sputtered. The multiple deposition-irradiation process is performed during one vacuum cycle. It is found that the cross-section of the film (Ni)-substrate (Cu) interface is rather developed and curved. The transition layer thickness reduces with increasing thickness of the deposited nickel film. Scratch testing shows that the adhesive strength of the Ni–Cu surface alloy obtained by using the low-energy high-current electron beam, is higher than that of the sputter-deposited surface alloy. The highest adhesion is observed for the Ni–Cu surface alloy obtained by the nickel film deposition 0.125 μm thick. In this case, the crack formation and localized film delamination occur under the critical loads of 15 and 17 N, respectively. Nevertheless, a complete delamination of the surface alloy is not observed.