In-situ studies of the crystallization of amorphous CoSi₂ films

The crystallization of amorphous CoSi2 is an ideal phase transformation for in-situ studies. This system satisfies the assumptions underlying the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami analysis rather well and produces a microstructure which can be modelled realistically. The nucleation rate can be measured independently of the growth rate. The activation energy for growth is found to be 1.1 eV/atom and microstructural observations suggest that the interface between amorphous and crystalline material is likely to advance by a ledge mechanism. © 1989.