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Microstructure and Surface Evolution in the Crystallization of α-Fe2O3/α-Al2O3(0001) Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Tae Sik Cho
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 790-784, Korea
Seok Joo Doh
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 790-784, Korea
Jung Ho Je
Affiliation:
Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sangju National University, Sangju, 742-711, Korea
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Abstract

We found the correlation between microstructure and surface evolution in the crystallization of amorphous α-Fe2O3/α-Al2O3(0001) thin films using real-time synchrotron x-ray scattering and atomic force microscope. The amorphous precursor is crystallized to the epitaxial α-Fe2O3 grains in three steps; i) the growth of the well aligned α-Fe2O3 interfacial islands on α-Al2O3(0001), ii) the growth of the misaligned, homoepitaxial, α-Fe2O3 grains on the well aligned grains ( > 400 °C), and iii) the nucleation of the heteroepitaxial misaligned grains directly on the α-Al2O3substrate ( > 600 °C). The surface roughing is caused by the microstructure evolution during the crystallization of the amorphous precursor films.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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References

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