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J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A32, 031502(2014);
Yuji Kusumoto1, Hiroshi Furuta2,a), Kazuki Sekiya3, Hirofumi Koji3 , Akimitsu Hatta4
1 Department of Electronic and Photonic Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada-cho, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan and
2 Department of Electronic and Photonic Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada-cho, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan and Institute for Nanotechnology, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada-cho, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan and
3 Department of Electronic and Photonic Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada-cho, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan and
4 Department of Electronic and Photonic Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada-cho, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan and Institute for Nanotechnology, Kochi University of Technology, 185 Miyanokuchi, Tosayamada-cho, Kami, Kochi 782-8502, Japan
Abstract
Electrical conductance of thin Ni films, deposited on insulating SiO2 substrates, was investigated for the initial stage of magnetron sputtering for the purpose of optimize control of catalyst particles sizes of carbon nanotubes. The conductance was not proportional to the depositiontime in the early phase of deposition. The conductance rapidly increased, after a period of near-insulating behavior from the start of deposition, and thereafter the increase of conductance was almost proportional to the total deposition duration. The period of near-insulating behavior and the rapid increase of conductance in the early deposition phase were attributed to growth of island structures in the initial deposition and formation of a continuous film through the connection of islands. The effect of base vacuum pressure prior to sputtering deposition also was investigated by conductance measurements. It was demonstrated that measuring electrical conductance during sputtering deposition was a convenient tool to examine the structures in the deposited film.
© 2014 American Vacuum Society
