Ni-InP reaction: Formation of amorphous and crystalline ternary phases

Three previously unreported ternary phases of the type NixInP have been observed to be the primary reaction products of the Ni/InP reaction. The first phase, amorphous NixInP(x≂2.7), forms at the Ni/InP interface by a solid-state amorphization process at low temperatures (T≲200 °C). Amorphous NixInP crystallizes at ∼300 °C to form a hexagonal NixInP phase (a0=0.412 nm and c0=0.483 nm) with a similar composition. A third ternary phase with nominal composition Ni2InP (monoclinic, a0=0.681 nm, b0=0.529 nm, c0=1.280 nm, and β=95°) nucleates at higher temperatures and is the final reaction product. This final phase is stable at temperatures up to 500 °C in samples capped with SiO2.