Abstract
The steady-state and transient kinetics of formation of thin insulating anodic oxide films on bismuth have been investigated. The thickness of the films was determined by the spectrophotometric method. No dependence on the crystal face of the substrate was detected (sensitivity better than 1% with thicker films). The transient behavior was found to be somewhat different from that of tantalum. The activation distances were found to be unusually large. The dielectric properties were also investigated.