The Structure of Sputtered Silver Films

Abstract
The electron microscope has been used to study the structure of sputteredsilverfilms. When compared with evaporated silverfilms which are prepared at the same rate, the sputteredfilms are observed to have a more continuous structure. When compared with evaporated silverfilms which are produced at much faster rates, the sputteredfilms exhibit a crossover phenomenon in which the thinner films are the more continuous and the thicker films less continuous than evaporated films of the same thickness. These properties are in agreement with resistivity measurements. A possible explanation for the results is proposed.