Insitu Plane-View and Cross-Section Transmission Electron Microscopy of Fractal Formation in Au/a-Ge Bilayer Films

Fractal crystallization in Au/a-Ge bilayer films was studied by in-situ plane-view and cross-section transmission electron microscopy. The experimental evidences suggest that the fractal crystallization is controlled by both diffusion and reaction processes. The growth kinetics analysis indicates that both diffusion-limited aggregation and random successive nucleation mechanisms play an important role in fractal crystallization in Au/a-Ge bilayer films.