Combinatorial Thin Film Sputtering for Rapid Materials Discovery of Next Generation Alloys

Current methodologies for the development of new alloy systems and exploration of their properties are the rate-limiting step to meet application requirements for new end-use cases such as the replacement of Al-Si alloys or materials for extreme environments. A methodology for the rapid design of next generation alloy systems is also not well established. Thus, this work utilizes a gated down selection approach to develop and implement an accelerated material discovery process to address new and critical needs. Here, combinatorial sputtering is leveraged as the initial gate for down selection. Co-sputtering has been shown to be an effective rapid materials discovery process as it achieves thin film compositions that cover a large composition range while allowing for the realization of metastable and equilibrium material configurations. Thus, it may be leveraged to rapidly survey a wide composition space to identify suitable candidates that meet programmatic requirements relating to properties such as coefficient of thermal expansion and mechanical properties. Experimental techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature dependent XRD (TDXRD), and nanoindentation will be leveraged to fully characterize the combinatorial libraries and identify compositions that demonstrate unique or interesting properties. Upscaling into traditional metallurgy can then be utilized to confirm and further characterize these compositions of interest.