Formation and stability criteria for amorphous Ge alloy films

Formation and stability of room-temperature deposited amorphous (a-) alloy films of Ge with Ag, Au, Cu, Ni, Fe, Ga, In, Sn, Sb, Ni, Bi and Nb have been studied, using differential thermal analysis and electron microscopy, as a function of various parameters such as: solubility of alloying element (in c-Ge), its melting point, atomic size and electonegativity. It has been shown that the composition range R, up to which amorphous alloy films are obtained, is affected by the solubility of the alloying element and its melting point. The effect of solubility S is dominant when S > 1 at%. However, for S ≤ 1 at%, the range is entirely governed by the melting point of the alloying element. Solubility and melting point have also been found to play a decisive role in stabilizing the amorphous phase of Ge. However, atomic size and electronegativity differences do not seem to play any important role in either the formation or stability of the amorphous phase