Abstract
The results of aging studies carried out on discontinuous silver films deposited on glass substrates held at room temperature in a vacuum of 2 × 10-8 Torr are presented in this article. The films were prepared by electron beam deposition at a rate of 0.2 Å/s. Discontinuous silver films show considerable aging for extended period even in a clean ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) obtained using a turbomolecular pump when the oxygen partial pressure is as low as 10-11 Torr, thus ruling out the possibility of oxidation being responsible for the aging in these films. The coalescence rate values in UHV and in a vacuum of 2 × 10-6 Torr obtained using an oil diffusion pump are nearly the same. This indicates that the aging of island films is not due to oxidation. A film with an initial resistance of 2 M Ω/□ showed a drastic fall in resistance after about 30 min of aging. This interesting discontinuous-semicontinuous transition observed in a conservative system is a clear evidence for the mobility of islands.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 340-343 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Thin Solid Films |
| Volume | 322 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 08-06-1998 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Metals and Alloys
- Materials Chemistry