ATOMIC MECHANISMS OF OXIDE NUCLEATION AND GROWTH AT THE ALUMINUM/OXIDE INTERFACE: A HIGH-RESOLUTION TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY STUDY

ighly detailed analyses of the crystallographic aspects required for nucleation and growth of aluminum oxide at the metal/oxide interface were carried out using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. These analyses led to the modelling of the mechanisms of nucleation and growth at the atomic level.;It is concluded that the crystalline ;Results indicate that the hemispherical crystalline oxide nuclei, less than 25 A thick, protrude into the amorphous oxide from the macroscopically flat aluminum/crystalline oxide interface. In addition, the crystalline...