The crystallization processes of amorphous Sb-Se thin films were studi
ed in detail mainly by calorimetry and mean time for crystallization a
t room temperature was estimated. Amorphous Sb100-x-Se(x) thin films (
X = 20 approximately 65 at%) were deposited on glass plate, and Polyme
thyl-Methacrylate (PMMA) substrate using two-point electron beam depos
ition and RF magnetron sputtering techniques. The crystallization proc
ess of amorphous Sb-Se thin films have been investigated by X-ray diff
raction (XRD) differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission
electron microscopy (TEM). An activation energy for the crystallizati
on is estimated by Kissinger's plot and Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (J.M.A) eq
uation. The crystallization temperatures were found to be proportional
to the Se concentration (Se less-than-or-equal-to 60 at%) and those o
f Sb40Se60(Sb2Se3) and Sb67Se33 (Sb2Se) films were estimated to be 220
-degrees-C and 195-degrees-C respectively by DSC measurements (heated
at a scanning rate of 10-degrees-C/min). An activation energy for the
crystallization in an Sb67Se33 (Sb2Se) film is estimated to be (2.85 /- 0.02) X 10(5) J / mol by Kissinger's plot (from the analysis of the
DSC data on the continuous heating) and (2.78 +/- 0.02) x 10(5) J / m
ol by J. M.A equation (from the analysis of the DSC data on the isothe
rmal annealing) , and its reaction order is n = 5 approximately 6 and
the frequency factor is v = 1.61 x 10(29) (s-1) . It was concluded tha
t the amorphous Sb67Se33(Sb2Se) thin film is sufficiently stable at ro
om temperature for practical use. The mean time for 10% crystallizatio
n was estimated to be about 100 years at 100-degrees-C. The structure
of the crystalline Sbr67Se33(Sb2Se) transformed from the amorphous pha
se was found to be monoclinic, which does not correspond to any known
compounds in the Sb-Se system.