DEVELOPMENT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF SPUTTER-DEPOSITED GOLD ON AMORPHOUS-CARBON

The deposition of sputtered gold atoms on the substrate of amorphous c arbon was investigated using transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscopy and grazing-incidence small-angle scattering techniqu es. It was found from Rutherford backscatter ing that, in the range of deposited gold 10(15)-1.5 x 10(16)cm(-2), the condensation rate is co nstant and does not depend on the fractional coverage which exponentia lly increases versus time. It it shown that the majority of the gold a toms arriving onto the substrate are collected by the growing clusters . The experimentally measured average height of gold clusters only sli ghtly increases with the amount of deposited gold and is always larger than the radius of clusters, indicating a quite cylindrical shape. (C ) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.