Electrical conduction in ultra thin metal films II. Experimental

Abstract

A number of thin aggregated metal films on glass substrates are analysed in terms of the model proposed earlier (Hill 1969). It is shown that the model is consistent, and that the conductivity of a thin metal film forming an island structure can be defined in terms of the island size and spacing, and of the properties of the substrate and the film material. The potential barrier heights for electron tunnelling between particles of gold, particles of platinum, and particles of silver through soda and barium aluminosilicate glass have been determined. It is shown that the bias effect in thin metal films (Hill 1964a) can only be observed with metals of work function close to that of the substrate material and when the substrate contains free alkali ions.