In-situ electrical resistance monitoring of Mg thin films during growth
and evaporation from MgO substrates
Ingason, Arni Sigurdur; Olafsson, Sveinn; Gudmundsson, Jon Tomas; Agustsson, Jon Skirnir Iceland
The use of in-situ electrical resistance measurements to monitor the
growth and evaporation of thin films is demonstrated. The electrical
resistance of thin Mg films grown on MgO (100) substrates by magnetron
sputtering discharge was monitored during growth. The resistance was
measured with a custom built four-point probe setup at varying substrate
temperatures. Furthermore, the electrical resistance was also monitored
while the films were heated and the Mg allowed to evaporate. This was
done to obtain information about the growth mode of Mg on MgO. The
minimum thickness of a continuous conducting layer was determined for
various growth temperatures in the range from room temperature to 300°C
By measuring the electrical resistance while the films were exposed to oxygen it is possible to gain information on the thickness of the oxide layer formed for films grown at different
temperatures.