Microstructure of Metal Coatings Deposited Using Ion Beam Deposition Processes

Abstract

The relationship between microstructure and film properties is the most important issue in the study of thin films and their applications. Microstructure of thin films can be influenced by many factors; most significant are the deposition process conditions, and the physical properties of the coating material. We have been interested in the investigation of the relationship between optical scattering and surface microroughness and finding optimum process conditions which yield lowest optical scattering. In this paper we present the results of our investigation of the microstructure of gold films using scanning tunneling electron microscopy (STEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction.