Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Pulsed beams (laser, electron, or ion) and ion beams (ion beam mixing) have been used to induce structural and compositional changes in metal-metal and metal-semiconductor thin-film structures. Metastable crystalline and amorphous phases have been formed. Although ultra fast quenching occurs with both techniques, metastable phases are formed by quenching from the liquid with pulsed beams and from the solid-phase with ion-induced reactions. With both techniques metastable phases can be formed over a broader compositional range than with conventional melt-quench methods.