The Influence of Soda-Lime Substrate Ion Drift on the Resistance of Discontinuous Thin Gold Films

Abstract

Conductance drift with time at high fields has been observed with discontinuous gold films on soda-lime substrates. The effect is attributed to ion drift in the substrate between metal islands which gives rise to (i) a small retarding field along the film which modifies current flow at low applied fields, and (ii) a reduction in the trap density within the tunneling barrier which leads to significant increases in film resistance at high fields.