Development of experimental techniques and an analytical model for aluminum nitriding

The rates of diffusion of nitrogen into aluminum and the subsequent formation of aluminum nitride are unclear. By matching experimental data to analytical models one can gain a better understanding of the diffusion process for nitrogen into aluminum and formation of aluminum nitride. We combine novel experimental and modeling approaches to achieve this goal. We develop a technique for in situ measurement of nitrogen deposition using a microbalance and present a simple reaction diffusion equation to simulate the diffusion of nitrogen into aluminum and subsequent precipitation into aluminum nitride. A mixed boundary condition formulation is presented to account for the initial influx of nitrogen at the surface until a saturation level is reached. We curve fit the derived model equations to the experimental data and determine the system diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant.