TEXTURE TRANSITION IN THIN METAL-FILMS VACUUM CONDENSED ON GLASS - A GENERAL CONSIDERATION

The transition from the texture formation region corresponding to the most closely packed crystal face to a region where the predominant orientation of layers corresponds to a less densely packed face in the crystal lattice of the given metal has been experimentally established for thin Ag, Sn and Cu layers vacuum-deposited onto glass. The texture transition observed is presented as a generalized relationship for all three metals, within the framework of the theory of similarity. The result of this generalization is extended to another three metals (Bi, Cd and Au) with similar characteristics of the evaporation process.