Vacuum arc deposited Mo layers: Grain size and roughness

The vacuum are deposition process does not include sputtering and allows to reach high deposition rates for materials with a low sputter yield (e.g. refractory metals which are widely used as diffusion barriers), The roughness and grain structure of Mo films produced with the aid of vacuum are deposition on Cu, silica glass and NaCl substrates have been studied. Mo films have a dense, non-textured polycrystalline structure. The grain structure of the Mo microparticles incorporated into the growing film cannot be distinguished from the film grain structure. The roughness of the Mo films studied increases with increasing deposition current and time. It decreases with increasing distance from the cathode, The interrelation between grain structure and surface morphology is discussed.