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Ge nanocrystals formation on SiO2by dewetting: application to memory
- Source :
- The European Physical Journal Applied Physics. 41:103-106
- Publication Year :
- 2008
- Publisher :
- EDP Sciences, 2008.
-
Abstract
- Ge nanocrystals (NCs) are produced by a dewetting process during annealing of an amorphous Ge layer deposited on an ultra thin SiO 2 layer. We have investigated the characteristics of the resulting NCs as a function of the nominal Ge layer thickness. Thanks to transmission electron microscopy images, we have extracted both the wetting angle and the NCs aspect ratio. We found that these characteristics remain constant whatever is the nominal thickness in the range of 1.5 to 10 nm. These results suggest that NCs have reached their equilibrium shape. We also experimentally determined the evolution of the NCs with the nominal thickness of the amorphous layer and found a linear relation. These results are in agreement with mass conservation and energetical considerations. Moreover a memory effect was evidenced in all the samples by C − V measurements. At last, we demonstrate that the use of a patterned SiO 2 surface improves considerably the ordering of NCs and reduces their size distribution. Such a process is promising for future integration of NCs in memory devices.
- Subjects :
- Annealing (metallurgy)
business.industry
chemistry.chemical_element
Nanotechnology
Germanium
Condensed Matter Physics
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Amorphous solid
Nominal size
chemistry
Nanocrystal
Transmission electron microscopy
Optoelectronics
Dewetting
Wetting
business
Instrumentation
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 12860050 and 12860042
- Volume :
- 41
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The European Physical Journal Applied Physics
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........0085fd3f3bc2b48856b9aef682d51722