Effects of furnace annealing and simultaneous laser excitation on copper and gold diffusion in amorphous germanium

Diffusion of Au and Cu in amorphous germanium was produced by CW Ar laser excitation during furnace heating. Comparison with classical furnace annealing shows a lowering of the crystallization temperature and an increase of the diffusion rate. A transmission electron microscopy study (imaging and electronic diffraction) shows the formation of metastable compounds. The results are analyzed in relationship to the transient sequence of the produced metastable phases.