Crystallization of Au-Si/glass thin film: A real-time synchrotron X-ray scattering study

The crystallization of amorphous, Si-rich, Au ₂₈Si ₇₂/glass thin film was studied in real-time synchrotron X-ray scattering experiments. The amorphous film crystallizes first into Au and Si phases at a low temperature of 206 °C. At annealing temperatures above eutectic temperature (T _E = 360 °C), the Au phase melts while the Si phase rapidly grows further. The crystallized Au ₂₈Si ₇₂ thin film has nanowire-type grains with 1000-nm-length and 10-nm-diameter. We confirm that the Au liquid phase contributes to the low-temperature crystallization of the Si solid phase for Si-nanowire growth.