An in situ technique to measure gold resistance oscillations during the first stages of growth

An experimental technique developed for measuring the oscillating behavior of the electrical resistance during the first stages of growth of thin gold films deposited on silicon (100) substrate is described. The in situ technique uses the small electrical resistivity of the Si substrate to apply a fixed voltage through it and measure the electrical current generated during film growth. Thermal evaporation of gold at very low deposition rates produces changes on the electrical current which can be acquired meanwhile the first atoms impinges on the substrate. High precision and repeatability were achieved with the proposed method as demonstrated with the measured oscillating behavior of the resistance. The implemented technique and the obtained results could be useful to compare the proposed theoretical models to explain this behavior. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.