Iterative development of a novel technique for in-situ cold welding of aluminium inside the Focused Ion Beam microscope

An iterative designing process often lays behind the development of a new technology. Prototyping, testing and analyzing are cyclically repeated to refine previous results until the technique works according to the intentions. In the present study this methodology has been used to develop a new experimental technique for cold welding of aluminium inside the Focused Ion Beam microscope. Following a series of improvements of the experimental set-up, the technique allows the AA6082-AA1070 microjoints to be produced in-situ, in which a tailored configuration of the FIB micromanipulator is employed both for applying the required force and for feeding the AA6082 filler metal into the underlying groove being made in the AA1070 base metal by ion milling. Real-time monitoring together with interface cross sections imaging and EDS analysis are used as a basis for the optimization of the bonding conditions.