Temperatures during Vacuum Deposition of Metal Films

Abstract

The radiant energy from a growing Ag film evaporated on a thin formvar substrate was analyzed spectroscopically by means of infrared filters. The ratios of transmitted energies through the filters to unfiltered energies (R.T) from the film were compared with those obtained from a resistance-heated Ag plate. For films less than about 250Å (≡d ₀) in average thickness the film temperature can not be defined uniquely, and in films thicker than d ₀ the temperature decreases accompanied by a fluctuation as thickness increases. The amount of radiant energy decreases with an increase in residual gas pressure, and the R.T's decrease or remain unchanged for films less than or larger than d ₀ in thickness. These results are discussed on the basis of the free electron theory.