Characterization of oxide layers on amorphous Zr-based alloys by Auger electron spectroscopy with sputter depth profiling

In multi-element alloys preferential sputtering is a common phenomenon. In the steady state of sputtering, a significant depletion in Cu is found. At the oxide/metal interface, a distinct enrichment of copper is found for all alloys and treatments. The degree of this Cu enrichment depends on the pretreatment. It is higher for the electrochemically-passivated samples than for samples with oxide layers grown during melt spinning.