Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide Substrate
Bimetallic Au/Pd nanoscale-thick films were sputter-deposited at room temperature on a silicon carbide (SiC) surface, and the surface-morphology evolution of the films versus thickness was studied with scanning electron microscopy. This study allowed to elucidate the Au/Pd growth mechanism by identi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-04-01
|
| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/11/4/410 |
| _version_ | 1827718712138924032 |
|---|---|
| author | Francesco Ruffino Maria Censabella Giovanni Piccitto Maria Grazia Grimaldi |
| author_facet | Francesco Ruffino Maria Censabella Giovanni Piccitto Maria Grazia Grimaldi |
| author_sort | Francesco Ruffino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bimetallic Au/Pd nanoscale-thick films were sputter-deposited at room temperature on a silicon carbide (SiC) surface, and the surface-morphology evolution of the films versus thickness was studied with scanning electron microscopy. This study allowed to elucidate the Au/Pd growth mechanism by identifying characteristic growth regimes, and to quantify the characteristic parameters of the growth process. In particular, we observed that the Au/Pd film initially grew as three-dimensional clusters; then, increasing Au/Pd film thickness, film morphology evolved from isolated clusters to partially coalesced wormlike structures, followed by percolation morphology, and, finally, into a continuous rough film. The application of the interrupted coalescence model allowed us to evaluate a critical mean cluster diameter for partial coalescence, and the application of Vincent’s model allowed us to quantify the critical Au/Pd coverage for percolation transition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:28:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9a2e05ab0cbe4d2d85719cef479c931b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:28:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-9a2e05ab0cbe4d2d85719cef479c931b2023-11-19T21:37:09ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2020-04-0111441010.3390/mi11040410Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide SubstrateFrancesco Ruffino0Maria Censabella1Giovanni Piccitto2Maria Grazia Grimaldi3Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania and MATIS CNR-IMM, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania and MATIS CNR-IMM, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania and MATIS CNR-IMM, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università di Catania and MATIS CNR-IMM, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyBimetallic Au/Pd nanoscale-thick films were sputter-deposited at room temperature on a silicon carbide (SiC) surface, and the surface-morphology evolution of the films versus thickness was studied with scanning electron microscopy. This study allowed to elucidate the Au/Pd growth mechanism by identifying characteristic growth regimes, and to quantify the characteristic parameters of the growth process. In particular, we observed that the Au/Pd film initially grew as three-dimensional clusters; then, increasing Au/Pd film thickness, film morphology evolved from isolated clusters to partially coalesced wormlike structures, followed by percolation morphology, and, finally, into a continuous rough film. The application of the interrupted coalescence model allowed us to evaluate a critical mean cluster diameter for partial coalescence, and the application of Vincent’s model allowed us to quantify the critical Au/Pd coverage for percolation transition.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/11/4/410Au/PdSiCnanomorphologycoalescencepercolationscanning electron microscopy |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Ruffino Maria Censabella Giovanni Piccitto Maria Grazia Grimaldi Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide Substrate Micromachines Au/Pd SiC nanomorphology coalescence percolation scanning electron microscopy |
| title | Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide Substrate |
| title_full | Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide Substrate |
| title_fullStr | Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide Substrate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide Substrate |
| title_short | Morphology Evolution of Nanoscale-Thick Au/Pd Bimetallic Films on Silicon Carbide Substrate |
| title_sort | morphology evolution of nanoscale thick au pd bimetallic films on silicon carbide substrate |
| topic | Au/Pd SiC nanomorphology coalescence percolation scanning electron microscopy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/11/4/410 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT francescoruffino morphologyevolutionofnanoscalethickaupdbimetallicfilmsonsiliconcarbidesubstrate AT mariacensabella morphologyevolutionofnanoscalethickaupdbimetallicfilmsonsiliconcarbidesubstrate AT giovannipiccitto morphologyevolutionofnanoscalethickaupdbimetallicfilmsonsiliconcarbidesubstrate AT mariagraziagrimaldi morphologyevolutionofnanoscalethickaupdbimetallicfilmsonsiliconcarbidesubstrate |