Thin films of gold deposited on a silicon substrate were used as electrical sensors of mercury vapour. The samples were exposed to mercury vapour at room temperature, changing the Hg concentration and the exposure time. The chemical composition and morphology of the films exposed to mercury vapour were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), scanning Auger microscopy (SAM) and secondary electron microscopy (SEM). In the samples exposed for a short time, the mercury was adsorbed by thin surface sublayer of Au film. In the case of long exposures, the transformation of the uniform Au film to a dendritic-like coalesced AuHg amalgam occurred, i.e. the morphology of the film was modified irreversibly. This transformation is caused by insufficient adhesion of gold to the substrate.
Battistoni, C., Bemporad, E., Galdikas, A., Kaciulis, S., Mattogno, G., Mickevicius, S., et al. (1996). Interaction of mercury vapour with thin films of gold. APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE, 103(2), 107-111 [10.1016/0169-4332(96)00518-1].
Interaction of mercury vapour with thin films of gold
BEMPORAD, Edoardo;
1996-01-01
Abstract
Thin films of gold deposited on a silicon substrate were used as electrical sensors of mercury vapour. The samples were exposed to mercury vapour at room temperature, changing the Hg concentration and the exposure time. The chemical composition and morphology of the films exposed to mercury vapour were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), scanning Auger microscopy (SAM) and secondary electron microscopy (SEM). In the samples exposed for a short time, the mercury was adsorbed by thin surface sublayer of Au film. In the case of long exposures, the transformation of the uniform Au film to a dendritic-like coalesced AuHg amalgam occurred, i.e. the morphology of the film was modified irreversibly. This transformation is caused by insufficient adhesion of gold to the substrate.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
