Abstract
Metal-catalyzed crystallization of amorphous germanium (a-Ge) is investigated to provide experimental evidence that this phenomenon is a defect mediated process. Positron lifetime measurements are carried out on as-grown and annealed Al/a-Ge multilayers, to unambiguously identify the type of defects. Substantial positron trapping occurs at interfacial voids in the as-grown specimens. Annealing at temperatures of 450-533 K results in rapid interdiffusion of the layers, leading to the formation of crystalline precipitates of Ge in the Al matrix. We provide direct evidence that the rapid transport and growth of crystalline Ge precipitates is aided by the transport of defects. These defects are identified to be two/three vacancy clusters. The broader implications of these results to microstructure and phase evolution in thin film multilayers is indicated.
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