Negative bias effect on film growth using pulsed vacuum arc plasma for multilayers

Very thin 100-period Fe/C multilayers with flat and smooth interfaces were prepared using a pulsed vacuum arc without bias voltage and were studied by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). Simultaneously, the bias voltage effect on the growth behavior of deposited gold films by pulsed vacuum arc has been studied by field emission typed scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Deposited gold film before applying negative bias voltage had grown via the typical islands mechanism (Vollmer–Weber type). However, gold films deposited under negative bias revealed small and dense mounds and no film thickness increases even further deposition. This is considered to be due to ion etching and resputtering during negative bias deposition.