In situ observation of fractal growth during a-Si crystallization in a Cu3Si matrix

We observe that the crystallization of amorphous Si thin films in contact with a copper silicide layer occurs at a temperature of around 485 °C in the form of dendrites with a fractal dimension of 1.7. The in situ observation of both the silicidation reaction, forming Cu3Si, and the subsequent crystallization of the remaining amorphous silicon in the silicide matrix, were observed during annealing in a transmission electron microscope. We estimate the radial growth rate of these crystallites at 5 nm/s at this temperature. The fractal dimension of the dendrites indicates a growth process similar to one known as diffusion-limited aggregation.