The crystallization behavior of sputter-deposited films of amorphous Si (a-Si) and SiGe alloys (a-SiGe) induced by electron irradiation at room temperature and by thermal annealing was investigated by in situ transmission electron microscopy. On electron irradiation at room temperature, extremely rapid crystallization, so-called explosive crystallization, occurred at a higher electron flux but not at a lower electron flux. On in situ thermal annealing, explosive crystallization occurred preferentially and partially at low temperatures in Ge-rich a-SixGe100−x for x < 50 but not for x > 50. These results indicate that the increase of Si content in a-SiGe prevents the occurrence of explosive crystallization. We previously proposed that explosive crystallization can occur in pristine a-Ge films via the interface of a liquid-like, high-density amorphous state at the growth front. An increase in the instability of this high-density amorphous state caused by the increase of Si in a-SiGe apparently gives rise to the suppression of explosive crystallization.
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7 July 2020
Research Article|
July 01 2020
Dual crystallization modes of sputter-deposited amorphous SiGe films
M. Okugawa
;
M. Okugawa
1
Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University
, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
2
Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University
, Gakuen-cho 1-1, Naka-ku, Sakai 599-8531, Japan
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R. Nakamura
;
R. Nakamura
a)
2
Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University
, Gakuen-cho 1-1, Naka-ku, Sakai 599-8531, Japan
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
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H. Numakura
;
H. Numakura
2
Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University
, Gakuen-cho 1-1, Naka-ku, Sakai 599-8531, Japan
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M. Ishimaru
;
M. Ishimaru
3
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology
, Tobata, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 804-8550, Japan
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H. Yasuda
H. Yasuda
4
Research Center for Ultra-High Voltage Electron Microscopy, Osaka University
, Mihogaoka 7-1, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047, Japan
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
J. Appl. Phys. 128, 015303 (2020)
Article history
Received:
April 08 2020
Accepted:
June 11 2020
Citation
M. Okugawa, R. Nakamura, H. Numakura, M. Ishimaru, H. Yasuda; Dual crystallization modes of sputter-deposited amorphous SiGe films. J. Appl. Phys. 7 July 2020; 128 (1): 015303. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0010202
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