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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
It has been known for about 15 years that when a Vickers indenter is loaded on to a crystalline semiconductor, such as silicon, a semiconductor to metallic phase transition occurs during indenter loading and on removal of the indenter the material within the residual indentation becomes amorphous. Here we report on a completely opposite effect: when a Berkovich or Vickers diamond indenter is loaded on to a submicrometre thick film of amorphous germanium, it densifies, crystallizes and undergoes structural phase transitions. These observations are based on transmission electron microscopy and Raman scattering investigations. It has also been shown that the indentation-induced crystallization and phase transitions occur close to the indenter tip, where the plastic strains are the highest.