Finite-thickness effect on crystallization kinetics in thin films and its adaptation in the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov model

Abstract

The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) model is widely used to quantify the isothermal crystallization kinetics. The present work reports an analytical solution for the crystallization kinetics in the special case of plate-shaped samples with a finite thickness. As a result, we obtained an adapted JMAK model revealing the thickness range which influences the crystallization kinetics mode significantly. The analytical solution also provides theoretical bounds for the film thickness, where the assumption of 2D or 3D kinetics is accurate. Finally, the conclusions related to amorphous silicon and amorphous nickel-titanium thin films are reported.