Haiping Sun

Formation and Morphology Evolution of Nickel Germanides on Ge (100) under Rapid Thermal Annealing

Phase formation and interfacial microstructure evolution of nickel germanides formed by rapid thermal annealing in a 15-nm Ni/Ge (100) system have been studied. Coexistence of a NiGe layer and Ni-rich germanide particles was detected at 250°C. Highly textured NiGe film with a smooth interface with Ge was observed. Annealing at higher temperatures resulted in grain growth and severe grooving of the NiGe film at the substrate side, followed by serious agglomeration above 500°C. Fairly low sheet resistance was achieved in 250-500°C where the NiGe film continuity was uninterrupted.

Growth and Structural Evolution of Nanosized Ni on (001) MgO by in situ TEM

Nucleation and growth of metal particles on oxide surface is of theoretical and practical interest. Ni film has been grown on MgO [1], but its growth behavior at early stage has never been studied. In the present work, the nucleation and growth of epitaxial nanosized Ni particles on MgO (001) surface was investigated by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A hexagonal closepacked (hcp) structure of element Ni was discovered and its subsequent transition to face centered cubic (fcc) structure was observed.[2]