Prakt. Met. Sonderband 52 (2018) 45 
S ein . . . = = m 
og ge High-throughput characterization of multinary thin film systems 
Abb. 4 
IQ von ns A. Ludwig* 
deren. | 
i * Lehrstuhl Werkstoffe der Mikrotechnik (www.rub.de/wdm, alfred.ludwig@rub.de), 
Zunahme der Institut für Werkstoffe, Fakultät Maschinenbau, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, 
Germany 
Abstract 
The high-throughput high-quality characterization of multinary thin film systems in the form 
of continuous composition spread thin-film materials libraries is discussed. By combinatorial 
synthesis, complete thin-film materials systems up to ternaries can be fabricated as well as 
large fractions of higher-component systems. Automated high-quality high-throughput 
methods enable the complete determination of compositional, structural and 
(multi)functional properties of the materials contained in the libraries. The acquired datasets 
enable materials discoveries and the optimization of newly identified materials. Furthermore, 
they are the basis for multifunctional existence diagrams, comprising the correlations 
between composition, processing, structure and properties. 
1. Introduction 
New materials are necessary to enable future technological developments in areas such as 
sustainable energy technologies and energy-efficient processes. A general trend in new 
Arge engineering materials is that their chemical complexity is increasing, i.e. materials are 
ol multinary, consisting of > 10 elements as e.g. in the case of superalloys. Currently, 
’ compositionally complex alloys such as so-called “high-entropy alloys” and multiple principal 
element alloys are discussed for their potentially promising materials properties [1]. 
However, the number of possible combinations of elements in such multinary systems is 
almost unlimited. Therefore, efficient research strategies are necessary, and the 
Ktromobilitét simultaneous fabrication of complete materials systems or at least large and targeted 
fractions of multicomponent systems is necessary. This is possible using the combinatorial 
ch relevanter materials science approach [2 - 5]. The discovery and development of new multinary 
2) materials can be accelerated by using combinatorial deposition of thin-film materials libraries 
ww.ika.rwth- combined with their high-throughput characterization, resulting in multidimensional datasets. 
now oof The search for new materials using thin-film materials libraries is readily applicable to thin- 
ut search for film applications. However, it is also of interest to accelerate bulk materials development by 
18/1-13 using the thin-film combinatorial materials library approach. Whereas intrinsic materials data 
fer G., AP from thin film combinatorial experiments can be used both for film and bulk applications, for 
the transfer of extrinsic properties from thin-film experiments to bulk applications special 
mal of Heat care needs to be taken. Examples of thin-film screening for bulk materials application can 
be found in the references [6 - 7]. In the following, the synthesis of multinary thin-film libraries 
2016) 1588- is shortly discussed, followed by an overview of high-throughput characterization methods 
and the results which can be achieved by these methods. 
‚hneider. G.,