The Significance of the Impact Velocity of Vacuum-Deposited Atoms for the Structure of thin Films

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe goal in this study was to investigate the effect of the impact velocity of the atoms on the structure of thin films generated by vacuum deposition. For that purpose all atoms faster or slower than a pre-selected velocity, u, were removed with a velocity filter frm a beam of gold atoms obtained by thermal evaporation in vacuum (10−5 Pa). The residual atoms (with a velocity u)were deposited onto cold (80 K) glass substrates. The annealing behaviour of the films studied by means of d.c. resistance measurements indicates a correlation between film structure and impact velocity in the sense that films generated by means of low velocity atoms have a non-equilibrium structure which does not exist in films prepared by conventional vacuum deposition.