AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Late Breaking Session Wednesday Sessions
       Session LB+EM+GR+MN+TR-WeA

Paper LB+EM+GR+MN+TR-WeA1
Degradation Kinetics of Hard Gold Tribofilms

Wednesday, October 31, 2012, 2:00 pm, Room 14

Session: Select Topics in Surface and Interface Science
Presenter: N. Argibay, Sandia National Laboratories
Authors: N. Argibay, Sandia National Laboratories
M.T. Dugger, Sandia National Laboratories
M.T. Brumbach, Sandia National Laboratories
S.V. Prasad, Sandia National Laboratories
Correspondent: Click to Email
Hard gold coatings are low alloy (> 98% Au) films exhibiting relatively low friction, electrical contact resistance (ECR) and chemical reactivity, making them uniquely suited for use in dynamic electrical connections. Hardness is primarily a result of grain refinement achieved through alloying. At relatively low temperature (approx < 0.5Tm) the diffusion of codeposited and underlayer species toward the free surface, dominated by grain boundary and pipe diffusion, has been identified as a principal degradation pathway. The consequent formation of metal oxides deteriorates ECR and often contributes to increased wear and friction. A clear antagonistic relationship exists between the hardening mechanism that improves tribological performance and the diffusion phenomena that reduce useful lifespan. This talk focuses on the role of diffusion and film morphology on the aging and degradation of the tribological and electrical characteristics of hard gold films.