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Nanocrystalline Ge Synthesis by Picosecond Pulsed Laser Induced Melting and Rapid Soldddtcation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

J. Solis
Affiliation:
Instituto de Optica, CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006-Madrid (SPAIN), Tel: +34–1–5616800, Fax: +34–1–5645557, e-mail: iodjs37@pinarl.csic.es
J. Siegel
Affiliation:
Instituto de Optica, CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006-Madrid (SPAIN), Tel: +34–1–5616800, Fax: +34–1–5645557, e-mail: iodjs37@pinarl.csic.es
C. Garcia
Affiliation:
Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Cristalografia y Mineralogía, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011-Valladolid, (SPAIN).
J. Jimenez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Cristalografia y Mineralogía, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011-Valladolid, (SPAIN).
R. Serna
Affiliation:
Instituto de Optica, CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006-Madrid (SPAIN), Tel: +34–1–5616800, Fax: +34–1–5645557, e-mail: iodjs37@pinarl.csic.es
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Abstract

Melting and rapid solidification has been induced in DC-sputtered amorphous Ge (a-Ge) films on glass substrates by irradiation with picosecond laser pulses at 583 nm. The melting-solidification kinetics has been followed by means of real time reflectivity measurements with ns resolution and the structure of the rapidly solidified material has been analyzed by means of Raman spectroscopy in micro-Raman configuration. The results obtained show that for laser pulse fluences above a certain threshold recalescence occurs during solidification leading to the formation of nanocrystalline Ge embedded in an amorphous matrix. The phonon correlation length (L) obtained from the Raman spectra of the irradiated regions has been used to analyze the evolution of the crystallite size with the laser fluence. For low fluences above the recalescence threshold, the values of L are in the 8–10 nm range. However, if the fluence is sufficiently increased, the crystallite size shows a clear linear dependence on the fluence with phonon correlation lengths scaling from 6 to 13 nm.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1997

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