Instrumentation for In Situ Electron Microscope Studies of Sputtered Thin Film Growth

Abstract

An assembly has been constructed for the investigation of the nucleation and growth of ion beam‐sputtered thin films inside the transmission electron microscope. A commercial microscope has been modified to allow a dynamic investigation of the formation of films on electron‐transparent substrates. The resolution of the microscope is not significantly impaired by the apparatus; the resolution during deposition is generally 15–25 Å. To date silver, gold, niobium, and silicon have been successfully deposited.