ABSTRACT
The continuous composition-spread (CCS) approach is based on a synthetic technique in which material is deposited on a substrate simultaneously from two or more sources that are spatially separated and chemically distinct, producing a thin film with an inherent composition gradient. With three sources, an entire ternary phase diagram may be produced in a single experiment, at least in principle. When this synthetic technique is combined with rapid, automated evaluation, the overall effect is a dramatic increase in the throughput of materials evaluation, compared to conventional single-sample studies. To date, CCS synthesis has been implemented using physical vapor deposition techniques, specifically evaporation and sputtering. It has been used to create both alloys and compounds in chemical systems, including intermetallics, nitrides, and oxides.
