Data for "In Situ Visualization via X-ray Diffraction of Phase Transformations During Flash Lamp Annealing "

Flash lamp annealing (FLA) enables sub-millisecond thermal processing with low thermal budgets, but its high heating rates make real-time tracking of structural and thermal changes challenging. We present a custom FLA system integrated with halogen lamp annealing and time-resolved synchrotron grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), achieving 200 µs resolution to explore reversible and irreversible structural transformations. Using this setup, we perform the first real-time surface temperature measurements with simultaneous visualization of structural transformation of ultra-thin hafnia-based ferroelectric layers during FLA. The results reveal two distinct time constants—fast post-flash cooling of the metal-ferroelectric-metal (MFM) stack and a slower phase evolution in the ferroelectric layer. We quantify the thermal budget needed to structurally transform the films into the desired ferroelectric phase and find it to be several orders of magnitude lower than that of conventional annealing while still producing high-performance MFM capacitors. This system enables direct observation of ultrafast crystallization processes and provides a powerful platform for advancing FLA-based processing across a broad range of applications, including electronics, energy devices, and other advanced technologies.

快速光退火（Flash lamp annealing, FLA）可实现亚毫秒级热加工且热预算极低，但其极高的升温速率使得对结构与热变化的实时追踪颇具挑战。本研究搭建了一套集成卤灯退火与时间分辨同步辐射掠入射X射线衍射（time-resolved synchrotron grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, GIXRD）的定制化FLA系统，实现了200微秒的时间分辨率，用于探究可逆与不可逆的结构转变过程。借助该实验平台，我们首次在FLA过程中完成了超薄氧化铪基铁电层的结构转变可视化，并同步实现了表面温度的实时测量。实验结果揭示了两个截然不同的时间常数：金属-铁电-金属（metal-ferroelectric-metal, MFM）叠层在闪光退火后的快速冷却过程，以及铁电层内较为缓慢的相演化过程。我们量化了将薄膜结构转变为目标铁电相所需的热预算，发现其比常规退火工艺低数个数量级，同时仍可制备出高性能的MFM电容器。该系统可直接观测超快结晶过程，为推动FLA工艺在电子器件、能源装置及其他先进技术等众多领域的应用提供了强有力的研究平台。