In situ electrical resistance measurements of Al-Ge films in the TEM using a modified heating holder

Abstract

A TEM specimen holder has been developed for the measurement of the electrical resistance of a TEM sample as a function of temperature. A Philips TEM heating holder was modified for this purpose. This creates the opportunity to directly correlate changes in the resistance to microstructural changes as a function of temperature.The microstructure of Al-Ge films of several thicknesses has been studied in an in-situ annealing experiment and has been recorded on videotape, while simultaneously acquiring resistance data. These in-situ TEM studies confirm that the irreversible decrease in resistance of these films is caused by crystallisation. During this transition segregation occurs, resulting in crystalline Al and Ge phases.