Nucleation of Ga2O3 nanocrystals in the K2O-Ga2O3-SiO2 glass system

A multitechnique approach, consisting of x-ray diffraction, differential th ermal analysis, low frequency Raman scattering from the acoustic vibrations of nanoclusters, and transmission electron microscopy associated with sele cted area diffraction, has been used to study the nucleation and crystalliz ation processes in SiO2-Ga2O3-K2O glasses. The specific aim was to determin e the structure and the size distribution of nanoparticles embedded in the glass matrix. It has been found that nearly spherical nanocrystals of beta -Ga2O3, with a size of similar to2-3 nm, nucleate during thermal treatments at 900 degreesC. Crystallization was observed after annealing at higher te mperature. The amount of the crystalline phase and the mean size of the nan ocrystals increased with heat treatment, time and temperature. beta -Ga2O3 was the only crystalline phase to appear in all glass samples. (C) 2001 Ame rican Institute of Physics.