Metal contact induced crystallization in films of amorphous silicon and germanium

The crystallization and compound formation temperature of vacuum deposited amorphous Si (and Ge) while in contact with various crystalline metals as a thin film sandwich are investigated by electron microscopy and electron diffraction. The results show that in simple eutectic systems the Si crystallizes at 0.72 (and Ge at approximately 0.65) of the eutectic temperature expressed in degrees Kelvin. Compounds are formed generally by the more rapid diffusion of Si into the metal. © 1972.