| Abstract Scope |
Reactive interaction of “late” transition metals M (Fe-Cu and their higher homologues) with Sn at temperatures around the melting point of Sn leads to stable or metastable M-Sn phases relevant for many solder application. This contribution deals with our experience in recording and evaluating Bragg-Brentano-type X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from such phases, in particular, of CoSn3, CoSn4, Ni3Sn4, NiSn4, and Cu6Sn5. We will highlight the advantage of (a) evaluating the full patterns by means of variants of the Rietveld method, and emphasize (b) the need to properly understand the crystallography of the phases, (c) to understand the effects of microstructure on the diffraction patterns, and (d) to optimize the quality of the XRD data, e. g. by adapting the specimen architecture to the needs of XRD analysis. Thereby, we also discuss the advantages to use electron backscatter diffraction as complementary technique for microstructural analysis. |