The structure of epitaxially grown ultra-thin gold films is investigated by x-ray diffraction, texture analysis and LEED/Auger techniques. High sensitivity of the x-ray diffraction analyzer has been achieved by means of a step scanning unit and an impulse height discriminator. The resolving power is then sufficient for the detection of the reflections of films as thin as 1 nm. It is concluded that the particle size broadening is the limiting factor for a further extension of the investigation range towards smaller thicknesses.
The electrical resistivity of thin palladium films deposited on amorphous substrates is measured in dependence on film thickness. The data are interpreted with the help of a statistical model taking into account structural information obtained from AES, TEM and x-ray diffraction texture analysis. The steep decrease of resistivity in the ultra-thin thickness region can be immediately correlated with the formation of coherent areas in the films. A more flattened course is reached at about 8 nm thickness where a continuous film structure develops.
X-Ray diffraction spectra of thin films may show characteristic interference fringe patterns which wash out with increasing surface roughness. From the intensity of the secondary maxima quantitative data on the roughness can be derived. Model calculations are presented assuming that the distribution of heights about the mean surface level is Gaussian. The theory is applied to explain the diffraction spectra of single-crystal silver films. It is shown that some uncertainty in the results remains due to the influence of lattice distortions
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