High Resolution In Situ TEM Studies of Silicide-Mediated Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon

1993 ◽  
Vol 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Hayzelden ◽  
J. L. Batstone

ABSTRACTWe report in situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy studies of NiSi2-Medi-ated crystallization of Amorphous Si. Compared to conventional solid phase epitaxy of (111) Si, an enhancement of the growth rate by three orders of magnitude was observed and high quality twin-free needles of <111> Si were formed. Crystallization occurred via a ledge growth mechanism at the epitaxial Type A NiSi2/crystalline Si (111) interface. A Model for NiSi2-Mediated crystallization of Amorphous Si involving the passage of kinks along <110> ledges at the NiSi2/crystalline Si (111) interface is proposed.

1995 ◽  
Vol 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.D. Theodore ◽  
W.S. Liu ◽  
D.Y.C. Lie ◽  
T.K. Cams ◽  
K.L. Wang

ABSTRACTTransmission electron microscopy, conventional and high-resolution, is used to characterize the microstructural behavior of oxidized Ge0.78Si0.12 layers annealed in a reducing 95% N2+ 5% H2 ambient. An epitaxial Ge layer grows by solid-phase epitaxy on an underlying Ge0.78Si0.12 seeding layer with a Ge-Sio2 matrix positioned between them. Defect densities in the epitaxial Ge are significantly lower than in the underlying Ge0.78Si0.12. Microstructural details of this behavior are investigated.


1997 ◽  
Vol 480 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. B. Belay ◽  
M. C. Ridgway ◽  
D. J. Llewellyn

AbstractIn-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to characterize the solidphase epitaxial growth of amorphized GaAs at a temperature of 260°C. To maximize heat transfer from the heated holder to the sample and minimize electron-irradiation induced artifacts, non-conventional methodologies were utilized for the preparation of cross-sectional samples. GaAs (3xI) mm rectangular slabs were cut then glued face-to-face to a size of (6x3) mm stack by maintaining the TEM region at the center. This stack was subsequently polished to a thickness of ~ 200 ýtm. A 3 mm disc was then cut from it using a Gatan ultrasonic cutter. The disc was polished and dimpled on both sides to a thickness of ~15 mimT.h is was ion-beam milled at liquid nitrogen temperature to an electron-transparent layer. From a comparison of in-situ and ex-situ measurements of the recrystallization rate, the actual sample temperature during in-situ characterization was estimated to deviate by ≤ 20°C from that of the heated holder. The influence of electron-irradiated was found to be negligible by comparing the recrystallization rate and microstructure of irradiated and unirradiated regions of comparable thickness. Similarly, the influence of “thin-foil effect” was found to be negligible by comparing the recrystallization rate and microstructure of thick and thin regions, the former determined after the removal of the sample from the microscope and further ion-beam milling of tens of microns of material. In conclusion, the potential influence of artifacts during in-situ TEM can be eliminated by the appropriate choice of sample preparation procedures.


1983 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Yamamoto ◽  
H. Ishiwara ◽  
S. Furukawa ◽  
M. Tamura ◽  
T. Tokuyama

ABSTRACTLateral solid phase epitaxy (L-SPE) of amorphous Si (a-Si) films vacuum-evaporated on Si substrates with SiO2 patterns has been investigated, in which the film first grows vertically in the regions directly contacted to the Si substrates and then grows laterally onto SiO2 patterns. It has been found from transmission electron microscopy and Nomarski optical microscopy that use of dense a-Si films, which are formed by evaporation on heated substrates and subsequent amorphization by Si+ ion implantation, is essentially important for L-SPE. The maximum L-SPE length of 5–6μm was obtained along the <010> direction after 10hourannealing at 600°C. The kinetics of the L-SPE growth has also been investigated.


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Agrawal ◽  
J. Cizeron ◽  
V.L. Colvin

In this work, the high-temperature behavior of nanocrystalline TiO2 is studied using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These nanoparticles are made using wet chemical techniques that generate the anatase phase of TiO2 with average grain sizes of 6 nm. X-ray diffraction studies of nanophase TiO2 indicate the material undergoes a solid-solid phase transformation to the stable rutile phase between 600° and 900°C. This phase transition is not observed in the TEM samples, which remain anatase up to temperatures as high as 1000°C. Above 1000°C, nanoparticles become mobile on the amorphous carbon grid and by 1300°C, all anatase diffraction is lost and larger (50 nm) single crystals of a new phase are present. This new phase is identified as TiC both from high-resolution electron microscopy after heat treatment and electron diffraction collected during in situ heating experiments. Video images of the particle motion in situ show the nanoparticles diffusing and interacting with the underlying grid material as the reaction from TiO2 to TiC proceeds.


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