  The molecular association process in a thermal gas of $^{85}$Rb is
investigated where the effects of the envelope of the radio-frequency field are
taken into account. For experimentally relevant parameters our analysis shows
that with increasing pulse length the corresponding molecular conversion
efficiency exhibits low-frequency interference fringes which are robust under
thermal averaging over a wide range of temperatures. This dynamical
interference phenomenon is attributed to St\"uckelberg phase accumulation
between the low-energy continuum states and the dressed molecular state which
exhibits a shift proportional to the envelope of the radio-frequency pulse
intensity.
