Abstract
The crystallization and recrystallization of amorphous Cu–Si alloys (24 to 100 at%Si) prepared by a vapour-deposition technique were investigated by means of electron microscopy. In amorphous films, ultra-fine contrast of several angstrom diameter was observed. Pure Si crystallized at 550°C but the crystallization temperature of Si in Cu–Si alloys was 450°C. Crystallization of the η′ phase was initiated at about 100°C. It was also found that each grain in the micro-duplex structure of η′ and Si was surrounded by a network which might be a density-deficient zone or grain boundary grooves, or both. In the crystallized η′ films, two types of recrystallization took place at 500°C. One of them is the equiaxial grain growth and the other is the whisker formation.
