Nucleation and growth of vacuum arc deposited gold films under pulsed bias

The nucleation and growth of gold films on carbon with/or without a pulsed bias was investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Without a pulsed bias the films exhibit a typical polycrystalline Vollmer–Weber mode, i.e. island, network and channel stages until the films eventually become continuous. With a pulsed bias, film growth proceeds by a different growth mode consisting of ultra-thin (2–3 nm) with increased nucleation rate. A huge nucleation contribution of gold films due to the subsequent deposition, resputtering and mixing is observed during the deposition under a pulsed bias.