Particle layering in the ceramic-metal thin film Pt-Al2O3 - art. no. 193407

Experiments performed by x-ray reflectivity, grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on a cosputtered nanocermet thin film of Pt-Al2O3 are presented. It is shown tha t the morphology of such a heterogeneous material can be well interpreted b y combining the information obtained from the three techniques. In particul ar, the layering of metal nanoparticles in the immediate vicinity of the su bstrate is clearly evidenced. GISAXS results are interpreted via a model wh ich yields spherical nanoparticles of diameter 2R=3.1 nm, separated on the average by a distance of 5.8 nm. The evidence for the layering of particles close to the substrate is deduced from the analysis of the specular reflec tivity and probed directly by TEM.