Annealing-induced reduction in nanoscale heterogeneity of thermally evaporated amorphous As2S3 films
Date
2008-11-10
Authors
Liu, A.C.Y
Chen, Xidong
Luther-Davies, Barry
Choi, Duk-Yong
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Publisher
American Institute of Physics
Abstract
The morphology and structural order of thermally deposited and annealed amorphous As2S3 films
have been investigated using high resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was found that
both the as-deposited and annealed films contained sparsely distributed nanocrystallites of the
orpiment As2S3 crystalline phase. However, from selected area electron diffraction both films
appeared amorphous. Fluctuation electron microscopy revealed that the as-deposited film contained
greater nanoscale inhomogeneity. Low temperature annealing reduced the nanoscale inhomogeneity
and resulted in a more homogeneous and energetically favorable network. The reduction in
nanoscale inhomogeneity upon low temperature annealing was accompanied by the appearance of
a first sharp diffraction peak in the diffraction pattern. This first-sharp diffraction peak has been
attributed to chemical ordering of interstitial voids. Our measurements suggest that this chemical
short-range ordering is associated with the dissolution of the energetically unfavorable larger
correlated structures that contribute to the inhomogeneity of the as-deposited film.
Description
Keywords
annealing, arsenic compounds, chalcogenide glasses, electron diffraction, interstitials, semiconductor thin films, sulphur compounds, transmission electron microscopy, voids (solid)
Citation
Journal of Applied Physics 104.9 (2008): 093524/1-7
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Journal of Applied Physics
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