Sample preparation:

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Arc melting is a versatile technique for the preparation of intermetallic alloys from constituent metals with a very high melting point. In this process, an electric arc is produced inside the melting chamber to melt the starting materials and fuse them to get an alloy. During the process of melting temperature as high as ~ 3000 ºC is produced inside the chamber, which is sufficiently high for melting the constituent elements of the alloy. Heating is generated by an electric arc struck between a tungsten electrode and metals placed in a depression (crucible) in the copper hearth.

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​Sputtering is an effective tool for the deposition of high-quality thin films. This technique is also useful for the deposition of alloy films of uniform thickness with better reproducibility. Sputter deposition is also advantageous for large-area deposition of films that are required for industrial applications. The target (material which is to be deposited) atoms after knocked out by the highly energetic gaseous ions in plasma (formed by the Ar gas) condense on the surface of the substrate to form a thin film. The target is used as a cathode, and the substrate (the base material on which the film is deposited) acts as an anode. Ar gas is fed into the sputtering chamber and a voltage of a few 100 V is applied between the target and anode to create the plasma.​