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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
Ge has a diamond cubic crystal structure (α) while Sn exists in both the diamond cubic (α) and body centred tetragonal (β) allotropic forms. The solid solubilities between Ge and Sn are very small according to the equilibrium phase diagram. This paper describes an investigation into the manufacture of metastable diamond cubic Ge-Sn alloy layers using pulsed laser melting of evaporated thin films . Cross-sectional and plan-view transmission electron microscopy have been used to characterise the microstructures of the Ge-Sn alloy layers, with alloy compositions determined by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The metastable diamond cubic Ge-Sn alloy microstructures are discussed in detail as a function of processing conditions.