Alloying effects of Sn and Si on wetting and energetics of solid Au/SiC interfaces

The wetting and energetics of solid Au–Sn/SiC and Au–Si/SiC interfaces were studied by a solid state wetting technique, which involves the equilibration of small metal crystallites on SiC substrates under ultra high vacuum conditions. Contact angles made by the crystallites on monocrystalline α-SiC have been determined, and the surface compositions of the crystallites and of the substrate have been measured. From these measurements, both the compositions as well as the energies of metal/SiC interfaces were extracted by means of the Young–Dupré equation, and monolayer or multilayer models of interfacial composition.