Crystallization, resistivity and microstructure of co-deposited metal-silicon thin film alloys

Abstract

Amorphous thin film silicides were deposited at room temperature. Crystallization was studied by in-situ transmission electron microscopy and resistivity. These procedures enabled the kinetics of crystallization and any additional transformations to be characterized by (a) measuring transformed volume fractions Vf directly, (b) deducing Vf from changes in resistivity and (c) studying the nucleation rate and growth of individual particles. A remarkable variety of crystallized microstructure including needles, spheroids and cylindrites was observed. © 1987.