Surface scaling behaviour of size-selected Ag-nanocluster film growing under subsequent shadowing process

TL;DR

This study investigates the surface growth behavior of size-selected silver nanocluster films, revealing two distinct growth regimes with different scaling exponents and analyzing how surface roughness and reflectance evolve during deposition.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the scaling behavior and growth regimes of silver nanocluster films under shadowing effects using AFM analysis.

Findings

Two growth regimes with different scaling exponents identified.

Surface roughness remains constant across the deposition process.

Reflectance of the film surface varies with growth time.

Abstract

Surface morphology of size-selected silver nanocluster films grown by dc magnetron sputtering has been investigated by means of an atomic force microscopy (AFM). From the height-height correlation functions ( HHCF) obtained from corresponding AFM images, the scaling exponents are calculated and two types of growth regimes have been observed. In the first regime, the growth exponent is found to be \b{eta}1 = 0.27\pm0.07 close to the KPZ growth exponent, while in the second growth regime shadowing effect plays dominant role which gives the growth exponent value \b{eta}2 = 0.88\pm0.28. On the other hand for the whole deposition regime, the roughness exponent value is found to be constant around {\alpha}= 0.76\pm0.02. UV-vis spectroscopy measurement suggests how the average reflectance of the film surface changes with different growth times.