In situ transmission electron microscopy study on the crystallization of GeTe binary alloy

Abstract

Microstructural properties of GeTe thin films were investigated by an in situ heating method within a high voltage electron microscope (HVEM). The results confirm that the transformation from an amorphous state to a fcc crystalline state yields a GeTe binary alloy with a ring-shaped amorphous structure. The fcc structured GeTe transforms into a GeTe orthorhombic structure during the experiment. The crystallization behavior of the GeTe orthorhombic structure in the HVEM is quite different from thermal crystallization. Our observation of real-time structural change confirms that the relaxed amorphous structure participates in the crystallization process in the electron beam irradiation condition. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.