Numerical modelling of transient liquid phase bonding and other diffusion controlled phase changes

Diffusion in material of inhomogeneous composition can induce phase changes, even at a constant temperature. A transient liquid phase (TLP), in which a liquid layer is formed and subsequently solidifies, is one example of such an isothermal phase change. This phenomenon is exploited industrially in TLP bonding and sintering processes. Successful processing requires an understanding of the behaviour of the transient liquid layer in terms of both diffusion-controlled phase boundary migration and capillarity-driven flow. In this paper, a numerical model is presented for the simulation of diffusion-controlled dissolution and solidification in one dimension. The width of a liquid layer and time to solidification are studied for various bonding conditions. A novel approach is proposed, which generates results of a high precision even with coarse meshes and high interface velocities. The model is validated using experimental data from a variety of systems, including solid/solid diffusion couples. C 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.