0000000000256261
AUTHOR
T. Lewowski
EFFECT OF SURFACTANT AND SUBSTRATE TEMPERATURE ON THE GROWTH OF Ag FILMS ON A SAPPHIRE SURFACE
The possibility of modification of the thin film growth on an insulating (sapphire) substrate by using a Ga monolayer as a "surfactant" was studied. We found that the films grown in this way are electrically conducting and can emit photoelectrons at much lower thickness than those deposited on a pure substrate. The surfactant stabilizes the positions of Ag atoms on the substrate surface and inhibits the coalescence of small nuclei into bigger islands, even when the film is annealed to 450 K. This fact may be very important for thin metal film technology.
Photoelectron spectroscopy of thin discontinuous metal films deposited onto a sapphire substrate
Abstract The charging of small metallic clusters forming discontinuous gold and gallium films, condensed in vacuum onto an insulating substrate (sapphire), was experimentally studied by the method of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) for a photon energy of 5.4 eV. It seems that the charging is due to electron emission as well as to electron transfer from metal islands to the empty electron states in the metal-insulator interface.
Surfactant effect of Sb on the growth of Ag films on a sapphire substrate
It is shown that a very thin layer of Sb may be used as a surfactant to modify the growth of silver films on an insulating substrate. The conduction (percolation) current flowing through a dispersed Ag film appears at a significantly smaller thickness due to the change in the growth mode of silver islands. Some practical applications are indicated.