Electron beam induced crystallization of a Ge-Au amorphous film

An amorphous Ge-Au(a-Ge-Au) film prepared by vacuum deposition was studied in situ and irradiated by an electron beam in a transmission electron microscope. The amorphous Ge-Au film can be crystallized rapidly and locally by electron beam irradiation, forming polycrystalline metastable Ge0.4Au0.6 tetragonal phase and then decomposing to polycrystalline Ge and polycrystalline Au at increased irradiation dose. The results suggest that the crystallization of a-GeAu film, the formation of Ge0.4Au0.6 and the decomposition of the metastable Ge0.4Au0.6 are dependent on the temperature rise of the irradiation process. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.