Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 326, Issue 5955, Pages 980-984Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.1177483
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Funding
- IBM-UIUC
- NSF [DMR 04-12939, DMR 07-06267, DMR 06-05890]
- U. S. Department of Energy [DE-FG02-07ER46453, DE-FG02-07ER46471]
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Phase transformation generally begins with nucleation, in which a small aggregate of atoms organizes into a different structural symmetry. The thermodynamic driving forces and kinetic rates have been predicted by classical nucleation theory, but observation of nanometer-scale nuclei has not been possible, except on exposed surfaces. We used a statistical technique called fluctuation transmission electron microscopy to detect nuclei embedded in a glassy solid, and we used a laser pump-probe technique to determine the role of these nuclei in crystallization. This study provides a convincing proof of the time- and temperature-dependent development of nuclei, information that will play a critical role in the development of advanced materials for phase-change memories.
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