text: At lower temperatures, about 400–450 °C, an interdiffusion process takes place at the junction, leading to formation of layers of different gold-aluminum intermetallic compounds with different growth rates. Gaps are formed as the denser and faster-growing layers consume the slower-growing layers. This process is known as the Kirkendall voiding, which leads to both increased electrical resistance and mechanical weakening of the wire bond. When the voids forms along the diffusion front, this process is aided by contaminants present in the lattice, and is known as the Horsting voiding, which is a similar process to the Kirkendall voiding.