Kinetics of liquid-mediated crystallization of amorphous Ge from multi-frame dynamic transmission electron microscopy
Abstract
The kinetics of laser-induced, liquid-mediated crystallization of amorphous Ge thin films were studied using multi-frame dynamic transmission electron microscopy (DTEM), a nanosecond-scale photo-emission transmission electron microscopy technique. In these experiments, high temperature gradients are established in thin amorphous Ge films with a 12-ns laser pulse with a Gaussian spatial profile. The hottest region at the center of the laser spot crystallizes in ~100 ns and becomes nano-crystalline. Over the next several hundred nanoseconds crystallization continues radially outward from the nano-crystalline region forming elongated grains, some many microns long. The growth rate during the formation of these radial grains is measured with time-resolved imaging experiments. Crystal growth rates exceed 10 m/s, which are consistent with crystallization mediated by a very thin, undercooled transient liquid layer, rather than a purely solid-state transformation mechanism. The kinetics of this growth mode have been studied in detail under steady-state conditions, but here we provide a detailed study of liquid-mediated growth in high temperature gradients. Unexpectedly, the propagation rate of the crystallization front was observed to remain constant during this growth mode even when passing through large local temperature gradients, in stark contrast to other similar studies that suggested the growth rate changed dramatically. As amore »
- Authors:
-
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie GmbH, Berlin (Germany)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1239268
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1233952; OSTI ID: 1247277
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-JRNL-676993
Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951; APPLAB
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344; FWP SCW0974
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 107; Journal Issue: 25; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; crystal growth; germanium; transmission electron microscopy; liquid crystals; amorphous semiconductors; amorphous semicondcutors
Citation Formats
Santala, M. K., Raoux, S., and Campbell, G. H. Kinetics of liquid-mediated crystallization of amorphous Ge from multi-frame dynamic transmission electron microscopy. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1063/1.4938751.
Santala, M. K., Raoux, S., & Campbell, G. H. Kinetics of liquid-mediated crystallization of amorphous Ge from multi-frame dynamic transmission electron microscopy. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4938751
Santala, M. K., Raoux, S., and Campbell, G. H. Thu .
"Kinetics of liquid-mediated crystallization of amorphous Ge from multi-frame dynamic transmission electron microscopy". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4938751. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1239268.
@article{osti_1239268,
title = {Kinetics of liquid-mediated crystallization of amorphous Ge from multi-frame dynamic transmission electron microscopy},
author = {Santala, M. K. and Raoux, S. and Campbell, G. H.},
abstractNote = {The kinetics of laser-induced, liquid-mediated crystallization of amorphous Ge thin films were studied using multi-frame dynamic transmission electron microscopy (DTEM), a nanosecond-scale photo-emission transmission electron microscopy technique. In these experiments, high temperature gradients are established in thin amorphous Ge films with a 12-ns laser pulse with a Gaussian spatial profile. The hottest region at the center of the laser spot crystallizes in ~100 ns and becomes nano-crystalline. Over the next several hundred nanoseconds crystallization continues radially outward from the nano-crystalline region forming elongated grains, some many microns long. The growth rate during the formation of these radial grains is measured with time-resolved imaging experiments. Crystal growth rates exceed 10 m/s, which are consistent with crystallization mediated by a very thin, undercooled transient liquid layer, rather than a purely solid-state transformation mechanism. The kinetics of this growth mode have been studied in detail under steady-state conditions, but here we provide a detailed study of liquid-mediated growth in high temperature gradients. Unexpectedly, the propagation rate of the crystallization front was observed to remain constant during this growth mode even when passing through large local temperature gradients, in stark contrast to other similar studies that suggested the growth rate changed dramatically. As a result, the high throughput of multi-frame DTEM provides gives a more complete picture of the role of temperature and temperature gradient on laser crystallization than previous DTEM experiments.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4938751},
journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
number = 25,
volume = 107,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Dec 24 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Thu Dec 24 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}
Web of Science
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