Adhesion and the cold welding of gold-silver thin films

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and theoretical study of adhesion in cold-welded Au-Ag interfaces that are relevant to the fabrication of organic electronic structures. Focused ion beam /transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy techniques are used to reveal interfacial impurities associated with the cold welding of nanoscale Au and Ag thin films. A theoretical model is also developed and used to predict the contact profiles around impurities between cold-welded thin films. The model is shown to provide new insights into how adhesion affects the surface contacts that occur during cold welding. The implications of the results are then discussed for the design of cold-welding processes.