Amorphous-crystalline phase transformation of supported aggregates produced by indium deposition

Indium deposits on amorphous carbon grids have been produced by atomic deposition in a vacuum chamber evacuated at a pressure of 1 × 10 −4 Pa. Deposits of 2 nm thickness corresponding to 7.6 × 10 15 atoms cm −2 appear to be formed from small isolated amorphous aggregates. In situ thermal annealing in a transmission electron microscope induces an amorphous-crystalline phase transformation. A similar phase change caused by the electron beam of the microscope is also observed, at an atomic scale, by high resolution electron microscopy. In both cases the phase obtained after transformation is In 2O 3.