Crystallization kinetics of sputter-deposited amorphous AgInSbTe films
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Date
2001-10
Authors
Njoroge, Walter K.
Wuttiga, Matthias
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Abstract
AgInSbTe films have recently attracted considerable interest as advanced materials for phase change
recording. For this application the determination of crystallization kinetics is of crucial importance.
In this work the temperature dependence of structural and electrical properties of sputtered
AgInSbTe films has been determined. Temperature dependent measurements of the electrical
resistance have been employed to study the kinetics of structural changes of these films. Upon
annealing a major resistivity drop is observed at around 160 °C which can be attributed to a
structural change as corroborated by x-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction shows an amorphous phase
for as-deposited films, while crystalline films with hexagonal structure (a54283 Å, c516 995 Å!
are obtained upon annealing above 160 °C. By applying Kissinger’s method, an activation energy
of 3.0360.17 eV is obtained for the crystallization. X-ray reflection measurements reveal a density
increase of 5.2%60.2% and a thickness decrease of 5.5%60.2% upon crystallization. © 2001
American Institute of Physics. @DOI: 10.1063/1.1405141#
Description
doi: 10.1063/1.1405141
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Citation
Journal of Applied Physics 90, 3816 (2001); doi: 10.1063/1.1405141