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091 Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry - Fall 2012 Problem Set 10 Problem set quiz scheduled for November 20th Problem 1 Carburization of pure iron (Fe) is carried out at 950C. It is desirable to achieve a carbon content of 0.9% at a depth of 0.1mm below the surface. A constant supply of carbon at the surface maintains a surface concentration of 1.2%. Assuming the diffusivity of carbon in Fe is 10-10 m2/s at this temperature; calculate the time required for this process. Problem 2 A p-n junction is to be created by diffusing boron (B) into an n-type silicon wafer with an existing carrier concentration of 1015/cm3. The location of the junction will be 6m below the surface of the wafer. The surface concentration of boron will be maintained at 1020/cm3 while the diffusion process is occurring. Assuming the diffusivity of B in Si is 3x10-11 cm2/sec at the process temperature, how long will it take? (Hint: The junction is formed at a location where the boron concentration equals the donor concentration.) Assume no change in donor concentration occurs during the diffusion (ie: no outgassing). Problem 3 Chromium is diffused into steel at 980C to increase corrosion resistance. If the surface concentration of Cr is maintained constant at 100%, how long will it take (in days) to achieve a Cr concentration of 1.8% at a depth of 0.002 cm below the steel surface? (D0 = 0.54 cm2/s, EA = 286 kJ/mole) Problem 4 A p-n junction is obtained at a depth of 3x10-3cm by diffusion of antimony (Sb) into p-type germanium. What is the acceptor concentration in the bulk Ge, if diffusion was carried out for three hours at 790C? Given: Constant Sb surface concentration is 8x1018/cm3 The diffusivity of Sb in Ge at 790C is 4.8 x 10-11 cm2/sec Problem 5 The Gaussian error function can be approximated for small values of x as erf (x) x. Suppose a silicon wafer is exposed to aluminum vapor at 1300C. At what distance will the concentration

of Al be 35% of the surface concentration in 164 hours? Assume the diffusivity of Al in Si is 10-10 cm2/s at 1300C. Problem 6 a) Certain alloys such as LaNi5 can store hydrogen at room temperature. A plate of LaNi5 containing no hydrogen is placed in a chamber filled with pure hydrogen and maintained at a constant pressure. At what depth from the surface will the concentration of hydrogen be the surface concentration after 1 hour? Assume the diffusivity of hydrogen in the alloy is 3.091x10-6 cm2/sec. Use the approximation erf(x) x for 0 < x < 0.6 if appropriate. b) The activation energy for H diffusion in LaNi5 is 0.25 eV. How far will the H diffuse (where will it reach the surface concentration) if the experiment in part a) is repeated at 35C? Problem 7 A skateboard axle made of carbon steel (an iron alloy with 0.6% C) is to be heat treated. A person who has obviously not taken 3.091 incorrectly sets the gas composition so as to cause a loss of carbon for the alloy. The axle was placed in a furnace at 1250C where the effective surface concentration of carbon was zero. At what depth has the carbon concentration fallen to of the initial concentration after 1 hour? Assume the diffusivity of carbon is 3.091x10-6 cm2/sec. Problem 8 You wish to remove nitrogen from the near-surface region of a plate of cobalt which is 1.0 cm thick. The plate is placed in a furnace at 417C where an atmosphere of H2 and NH3 reacts with the nitrogen in the cobalt and fixes the surface concentration to 111 ppm (parts per million by mass). If the initial concentration is 3091 ppm, how long will it take to reduce the nitrogen concentration to 1662 ppm at a depth of 10m? The diffusion of nitrogen in cobalt has an activation energy of 100kJ/mol and a preexponential value (D0) of 0.01 cm2/sec. Problem 9 An undesirable consequence of welding steel by acetylene torch is the rise in hydrogen concentration in the metal. That hydrogen contamination embrittles the steel. The metal is typically subjected to a vacuum heat treatment to restore ductility. A steel part is placed in a vacuum furnace at 600C for one hour. The H concentration (initially uniform in the weld) falls to its initial value at a depth of 500m from the surface: It is know that the diffusivity of H in the steel at 600C is 3.091 x 10-4 cm2/sec. An identical part is heat treated at 700C. Under these

conditions the H concentration falls to its initial value at a depth of 500m in 50 minutes. What is the diffusivity of H in steel at 700C?