Atomic Force Microscopy Study of the Kinetic Roughening in Nanostructured Gold Films on SiO2

Dynamic scaling behavior has been observed during the room-temperature growth of sputtered Au films on SiO2 using the atomic force microscopy technique. By the analyses of the dependence of the roughness, sigma, of the surface roughness power, P(f), and of the correlation length, xi, on the film thickness, h, the roughness exponent, alpha = 0.9 +/- A 0.1, the growth exponent, beta = 0.3 +/- A 0.1, and the dynamic scaling exponent, z = 3.0 +/- A 0.1 were independently obtained. These values suggest that the sputtering deposition of Au on SiO2 at room temperature belongs to a conservative growth process in which the Au grain boundary diffusion plays a dominant role.