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In situ transmission electron microscopy observations of the crystallization of amorphous Ge films

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Abstract

The crystallization of amorphous Ge films has been studied as a function of annealing temperature between 400 and 700°C by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that crystallization does not occur until the annealing temperature reaches 650°C, which is nearly 250°C higher than the crystallization temperature in previous reports. The high crystallization temperature and average crystal size obtained by in situ TEM are in agreement with those from Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurement. The kinetics analysis indicates that homogeneous nucleation is the dominant crystallization mode and the activation energy is up to about 3.1 eV.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, People’s Republic of China

    Z. H. Cao, P. Liu, X. K. Meng, S. C. Tang & H. M. Lu

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  1. Z. H. Cao
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  2. P. Liu
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  3. X. K. Meng
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  4. S. C. Tang
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  5. H. M. Lu
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Correspondence to X. K. Meng.

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Cao, Z.H., Liu, P., Meng, X.K. et al. In situ transmission electron microscopy observations of the crystallization of amorphous Ge films. Appl. Phys. A 94, 393–398 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-008-4818-2

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