Construction of magnetron sputtering non-equilibrium Miedema's model for application in Ag-Mo thin films

The Miedema's model is a phenomenology for studying the thermodynamics of transition binary metals. In this paper, the magnetron sputtering non-equilibrium Miedema's model was constructed by using the single atomic collision theory. The Gibbs free energy diagrams of the crystalline and amorphous phase of the Ag-Mo system were calculated by using this model, the curves were convex and were greater than zero. Combined with the valence rule in the Hume-Rothery's rules, it was found that Ag atoms had a tendency to dissolve into Mo lattice under the non-equilibrium magnetron sputtering condition. The experimental results showed that metastable Mo(Ag) solid solution was formed in the Mo-rich region, which corresponds to the calculated Gibbs free energy curves under the constraints of the Hume-Rothery's rule. •On the basis of the equilibrium Midema's model, the non-equilibrium magnetron sputtering Midema's model was constructed by using the single atomic collision theory.•The Gibbs free energy of the crystalline phase and amorphous phase of the Ag-Mo system were calculated, the energy curves are convex and are basically greater than zero.•Some physical parameters of Ag and Mo are basically inconsistent with the valence rule in the Hume-Rothery's rules, indicating that Ag atoms had a tendency to dissolve into Mo lattice under the non-equilibrium magnetron sputtering condition, which corresponds to the experiment result.