Abstract
This paper describes the application of high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) to the determination of phase diagrams. Using a heating holder in a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM), the chemical stability of a CdTe/GaAs interface is confirmed, as predicted by the Ga-As-Cd-Te quaternary phase diagram. Crisp, near-atomic-resolution video imaging is obtained at an annealing temperature of 500°C. Not only are the above results in complete agreement with ex situ annealing of the CdTe/GaAs heterojunction, but also direct observations of dynamic events occuring at the atomic level are recorded in real-time. Sublimation at the edge of a CdTe {111} thin film occurs via a ledge mechanism. Instead of a steady progression of this solid-vapor reaction, one obtains a real-time impression of dynamic equilibrium between vaporization and recondensation as atoms from the surface disappear and reappear several times before their ultimate removal.
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Schwartzman, A., Sinclair, R. Hrem In Situ Annealing of the CdTe/GaAs Heterojunction. MRS Online Proceedings Library 139, 205–210 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-139-205
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-139-205