THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF CRYSTALLINE AL-GE THIN-FILMS OF DENSE BRANCHINGMORPHOLOGY

Crystallization of amorphous Al:Ge thin films revealed Al crystals in which Ge precipitates in a dense branching morphology, The microstruct ure of the crystalline phases was studied by conventional and high-res olution transmission electron microscopy. Each Al crystal was found to contain subgrain boundaries as well as small amorphous ''pockets.'' T he crystalline Ge branches were found to be composed of multiple twinn ed crystal, while the Ge center, i.e. the compact zone, was found to b e a polycrystalline phase. No special crystallographic relation betwee n the Al and the Ge was found.