Morphology characteristic of surface crystallization on amorphous Ni88P12 film

The structure and morphology of amorphous Ni88P12 alloy films prepared by c hemical deposition on p-Si(100) substrates at 363 K are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction before and after treatments of oxidation-reduction and crystallization. The resul ts show that amorphous Ni88P12 alloy films are an assembly of micrometer-sc ale grains, each of which consists of nanoparticles. The surface crystallit es form when the films are treated by an oxidation-reduction cycle at tempe ratures below the normal crystallization temperature. Two kinds of grains w ith different shapes have been detected. The morphological features of the crystallites developed from the nanoparticles of the amorphous film after c rystallization is described. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.