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The behavior of silver thin films on SiO 2 , amorphous carbon, and Al 2 O 3 surfaces upon thermal vacuum heating has been studied. It has been shown that Ag thin films decay into drops at heating. This pro cess does not have strongly defined temperature and takes place at temperatures that are essentially lower than the reference melting point of silver. At the same time, it shows a cumulative character. Decay of a silver thin film of 12 nm thickness on the SiO 2 surface occurs instantly at the temperature about 230°C, while, at a tem perature of 120°C, the process of decaying into drops starts after 11 h. It has been speculated that disintegra tion of the film goes through the stage of melting caused by the surface. The influence of the substrate surface on the disintegration process of films with different thicknesses has been studied. It has been shown that the evaporation process plays an essential role in the decay of thin films.

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