Preparation of ultrathin gold films by oxygen-ion sputtering and their optical properties

The optical and electrical properties of gold films of thickness varying from less than 1 to 8 nm are studied. The films are obtained by sputtering with argon ion and oxygen ion beams. It is shown that the properties of the films are independent of the type of ions used for sputtering. The 1- to 5-nm-thick films are continuous and offer a high transparency. Sputtering by oxygen ion beams is used to produce NiOx/Au ohmic contacts to p-GaN. (C) 2003 MAIK Nauka / Interperiodica.