Abstract
Ion beam mixing and amorphization were simultaneously studied via in situ Rutherford backscattering and channelling experiments in a Ni single crystal covered with a thin Zr layer and bombarded at liquid-nitrogen temperature with 250 keV Kr ions. The formation of the amorphous phase was found to be directly related to the number of Zr atoms mixed into the Ni crystal. The thickness of the amorphous layer can be derived from both the channelling data and the spatial extension of the Zr profile. Comparative features of amorphization induced by either ion irradiation, ion implantation or ion beam mixing are also discussed.