Aluminum-copper alloys are popular for many applications that take advantage of the combination of properties in the alloys. This paper describes the use of multiple advanced failure analysis tools to analyze the physical and chemical properties of Al-Cu alloy thin films.

Homogenous mixtures of Ce 0.8 Gd 0.2 O 1.9 (GDC) and La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (LSCF6428) nanopowders were successfully synthesized using radio frequency (RF) induction plasma by axial injection of a solution. Two kinds of powders with different mass ratio of GDC/LSCF, such as 3/7 and 6/4, were obtained. The crystallinity and morphological features of the powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The particles are almost globular in shape with a diameter lower than 100nm and the BET specific areas around 20m 2 /g. In addition, suspensions, made with the composite nanopowders and ethanol, were used to deposit some cathode coatings using suspension plasma spray method. Several initial results of the coatings are also presented. The coatings are homogeneous and porous with cauliflower structures.