Abstract
The crystallization process and the pre-crystallization structural change in reactively sputtered a-Ge: H/a-GeN, multilayer structures have been studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). HRTEM photographs and XRD data show that the a-Ge:H layers crystallize without disrupting the multilayer structure and that the interfaces after the crystallization are atomically smooth and uniform. Orientated nucleation with the Ge(III) crystal plane parallel to that of the a-Ge:H layers indicates that relaxation of the interfacial structural mismatch dominates the crystallization process of a-Ge: H/a-GeN, multilayer films. A HRTEM photograph of the crystallized Ge layer shows that monatomic steps at c-Ge/a-GeN, interfaces are present, suggesting monolayer growth during deposition of the amorphous materials.