ELECTROMIGRATION IN GOLD THIN-FILMS

We study the modification of gold thin film surface by Scanning Tunnel ling Microscopy (STM) and grazing incidence X-ray to understand the pr ocess of electromigration. As a result of the applied current we have observed by STM a large movement of matter in the film surface that re sults in a strong rearrangement and modification of all the surface st ructures in a matter of minutes. We obtained that the (111) peak posit ion shift towards the gold standards with elapsed time indicating that the surface strains formed during film growth disappears. The conclus ion of the study is that the electrical current induces a rearrangemen t of the gold film surface. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.