Crystallization studies of electron beam-deposited telluride films

Abstract

This paper reports on the characterization of the crystallization of Ge-Te and Ge-Sb-Te films by several methods. The electron beam-deposited films, usually amorphous, were crystallized by oven-heating, laser irradiation and electron bombardment. Information on the micro-morphology and structure was collected by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The element binding states in the films were analysed by their X-ray photoelectron spectra. A unique fcc metastable structure as the crystallization product for a range of compositions was indexed. Attention was paid to the various effects of the different annealing methods. The mechanisms of phase transformation involving photo-induced reactions and thermal effects are discussed.