Film Deposition by Exploding Wires

The exploding-wire phenomena provide a high flux of high-energy atoms incident on a surface. Electron-microscopy studies of the nucleation and growth of films formed by exploding wires in vacuum show no deviation from the typical island-channel stages of growth commonly observed in vacuum-deposited and sputter-deposited films. Observations of the deposited material give some insight into the physical processes occurring in the expanding vapor cloud from the exploding wire. Applications and limitations of this technique for depositing thin films are discussed.