Abstract
Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the early nucleation and growth stages of aluminum films grown on SiO film substrates covered with a thin (∼10 nm thick) layer of gallium. It was found that spherical aluminum crystals nucleate initially within the liquid gallium droplets and, as the deposition proceeds, they grow larger through a liquid metal mediated coalescence. An in-situ cooling experiment inside a transmission electron microscope has shown that the liquid gallium surrounding the solid aluminum crystals undergoes an anomalous supercooling behavior. At 86 K most of the gallium droplets had crystallized, but after warming to 207 K followed by cooling to 80 K, no solidification of gallium was observed again.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have