Annealing Temperature Dependence of the Amorphous Structure of Amorphous Si–Ge–Au Thin Films

Abstract

The amorphous Si–Ge–Au thin films were consecutively annealed to determine annealing effects on the amorphous structures. Electrical resistivities were measured to investigate the amorphous structural changes. The electrical resistivies of the specimen annealed up to 1000 K were changed with hysteresis at high temperatures, but returned to same values of electrical resistivity at room temperature. Increasing of the upper limit of thermal annealing temperature from 1000 K to 1100 K made the electrical resistivity change irreversibly over the entire temperature range. Therefore, the expected transition temperature of the amorphous phase is considered to be between 1000 K and 1100 K.