High-throughput investigation of structural evolution upon solid-state in Cu–Cr–Co combinatorial multilayer thin-film

Cu–Cr–Co combinatorial multilayer thin-films were prepared by a high-throughput ion beam sputtering system. Based on the thickness ratio among the individual nanoscale monolayers (Cu, Cr, Co), the resulting stoichiometry covered the entire phase diagram. The chemical composition and structure of Cu–Cr–Co combinatorial chip upon solid-state reaction were studied by lab-based micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) and high-throughput synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. A composition-structure map for Cu–Cr–Co combinatorial chip was developed through automated data analysis employing hierarchical clustering techniques. The structural evolution of Cu–Cr–Co combinatorial chip as a function of heat-treatment temperature, time, and modulation period were studied systematically. Furthermore, the effect of the elemental distribution in-depth direction was investigated to gain more insights regarding phase transformation. This work provides an efficient method and new perspectives for the design and optimization of the composition and structure of high-performance thin-films.