ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE AND AUGER-ELECTRON MICROSCOPY STUDIES OF THIN-FILM ULTRASMOOTH AU-CR FILMS ON MICA

Atomic force microscope (AFM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) studies were made of thin (3.5 < t < 8.5 nm) Au-Cr alloy films thermally deposited on cleaved mica. The root mean square roughness measured by the AFM ranged between 0.25 and 0.6 nm on 10 X 10 mum2 areas. AES mapping showed very uniform lateral distribution of the two metals and a pronounced diffusion of Cr atoms toward the surface.