CHARACTERIZATION OF INTERFACE STRUCTURES IN NANOCRYSTALLINE GERMANIUMBY MEANS OF HIGH-RESOLUTION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY AND MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS

The atomic structure of nanocrystalline particles formed by vapor depo sition and subsequent annealing of amorphous thin films of germanium w as studied by high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The HREM ima ges revealed a strongly varied multiply twinned structure. In some reg ions of adjacent twins contrast features were detected which were caus ed by an overlapping of twin lamellae. It will be shown by HREM contra st simulations that these interface types can be described by Sigma = 3'' boundaries. The influence of lattice relaxations is taken into con sideration by molecular dynamics simulations of the structure models.