High-resolution characterization of the diffusion of light chemical elements in metallic components by scanning...

An original sub-surface, high spatial resolution tomographic technique based on scanning microwave microscopy (SMM) is used to visualize in-depth materials with different chemical compositions. A significant phase difference in SMM between aluminum and chromium buried patterns has been observed. Moreover this technique was used to characterize a solid solution of a light chemical element (oxygen) in a metal lattice (zirconium). The large solubility of the oxygen in zirconium leads to modifications of the properties of the solid solution that can be measured by the phase shift signal in the SMM technique. The signal obtained in cross-section of an oxidized Zr sample shows the excellent agreement between phase shift profiles measured at different depths. Such a profile can reveal the length of diffusion of the oxygen in zirconium under the surface. The comparison with the oxygen concentration measured by nuclear reaction analysis shows excellent agreement in terms of length of diffusion and spatial distribution of the oxygen. A rapid calibration shows a linear dependence between the phase shift and the oxygen concentration. The SMM method opens up new possibilities for indirect measurements of the oxygen concentration dissolved in the metal lattice.