Efficient adhesion of gold thin films on dielectric or semiconductor substrates is essential in applications and research within plasmonics, metamaterials, 2D materials, and nanoelectronics. As a consequence of the relentless downscaling in nanoscience and technology, the thicknesses of adhesion layer and overlayer have reached tens of nanometers, and it is unclear if our current understanding is sufficient. In this report, we investigated how Cr and Ti adhesion layers influence the nanostructure of 2-20 nm thin Au films by means of high-resolution electron microscopy, complemented with atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Pure Au films were compared to Ti/Au and Cr/Au bilayer systems. Both Ti and Cr had a striking impact on grain size and crystal orientation of the Au overlayer, which we interpret as the adhesion layer-enhanced wetting of Au and the formation of chemical bonds between the layers. Ti formed a uniform layer under the Au overlayer. Cr interdiffused with the Au layer forming a Cr-Au alloy. The crystal orientation of the Au layers was mainly [111] for all thin-film systems. The results showed that both adhesion layers were partially oxidized, and oxidation sources were scrutinized and found. A difference in bilayer electrical resistivity between Ti/Au and Cr/Au systems was measured and compared. On the basis of these results, a revised and more detailed adhesion layer model for both Ti/Au and Cr/Au systems was proposed. Finally, the implications of the results were analyzed, and recommendations for the selection of adhesion layers for nano-optics and nanoelectronics applications are presented.

Non-destructive orientation mapping is an important characterization tool in materials science and geoscience for understanding and/or improving material properties based on their grain structure. Confocal Raman microscopy is a powerful non-destructive technique for chemical mapping of organic and inorganic materials. Here we demonstrate orientation mapping by means of Polarized Raman Microscopy (PRM). While the concept that PRM is sensitive to orientation changes is known, to our knowledge, an actual quantitative orientation mapping has never been presented before. Using a concept of ambiguity-free orientation determination analysis, we present fast and quantitative single-acquisition Raman-based orientation mapping by simultaneous registration of multiple Raman scattering spectra obtained at different polarizations. We demonstrate applications of this approach for two- and three-dimensional orientation mapping of a multigrain semiconductor, a pharmaceutical tablet formulation and a polycrystalline sapphire sample. This technique can potentially move traditional X-ray and electron diffraction type experiments into conventional optical laboratories.

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