MODIFICATION OF STRUCTURE OF THIN SILVER FILMS SUBMITTED TO MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS - MEASUREMENT OF ADHESION

A dynamic method for measuring the adhesion of thin films under vacuum is described. The film support is fixed to the ends of an amplifier of mechanical vibration, the vibration being induced by a piezoelectric transducer. An electron microscope study of the granular and fissured silver films, deposited on carbon, shows that the mechanical vibration causes coalescence, recrystallisation and morphological changes in the film. Assuming that the frequency of the mechanical vibration is much smaller than the natural frequency of the silver grains, the order of the magnitude of the adhesion between the grains and the support has been estimated. The adhesion of continuous films can also be measured by this method.